BHOOTIKe  A   LEOPAED. 


LOST  IN  THE  JUNGLE, 


NARRATED   FOR  YOUNG   PEOPLE. 


BY   PAUL   DU   CHAILLU, 


AUTHOR    OF 


•DISCOVERIES  IN  EQUATORIAL  AFRICA,"   "WILD  LIFE   UNDER 

THE   EQUATOR,"   "JOURNEY  TO  ASHANGO   LAND," 

"STORIES  OF  THE  GORILLA  COUNTRY,"  &c 


WITH  NUMEROUS  ENGRAVINGS. 


NEW   YORK   AND   LONDON  : 
HARPER    &    BROTHERS,    PUBLISHERS, 


BOOKS   BY 
PAUL  DuCHAILLU 

THE   LAND   OF   THE   MIDNIGHT  SUN 

Illustrated.     8vo 

EQUATORIAL  AFRICA.     Illustrated.     Post  8vo 
STORIES   OF   THE   GORILLA   COUNTRY 

Illustrated.     12mo 
WILD   LIFE   UNDER   THE   EQUATOR 

Illustrated.     12mo 

LOST  IN  THE  JUNGLE.  Illustrated.  12mo 
MY  APINGI  KINGDOM.  Illustrated.  12mo 
THE  COUNTRY  OF  THE  DWARFS 

Illustrated.     12mo 


HARPER  &  BROTHERS,  NEW  YORK 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  I. 

Paul's  Letter  to  his  Young  Friends,  in  which  he  prepares  them  for 
being  "Lost  in  the  Jungle" Page  11 

CHAPTER  II. 

A  queer  Canoe.— On  the  Rembo.— We  reach  the  Niembouai.— A  de- 
serted Village. — Gazelle  attacked  by  a  Snake. — Etia  wounded  by  a 
Gorilla. li 

CHAPTER  III. 

Harpooning  a  Manga. — A  great  Prize. — Our  Canoe  capsized. — De- 
scription of  the  Manga. — Return  to  Camp 23 

CHAPTER  IV. 

We  go  into  the  Forest. — Hunt  for  Ebony-trees. — The  Fish-eagles. — 
Capture  of  a  young  Eagle. — Impending  Fight  with  them. — Fearful 
roars  of  Gorillas. — Gorillas  breaking  down  Trees 28 

CHAPTER  V. 

Lost. — Querlaouen  says  we  are  Bewitched. — Monkeys  and  Parrots.— 
A  deserted  Village. — Strange  Scene  before  an  Idol. — Bringing  in 
the  Wounded. — An  Invocation 37 

CHAPTER  VI. 

A  white  Gorilla. — Meeting  two  Gorillas. — The  Female  runs  away.— 
The  Man  Gorilla  shows  fight. — He  is  killed. — His  immense  Hands 
and  Feet. — Strange  Story  of  a  Leopard  and  a  Turtle.............*....  48 

CHAPTER  VII. 

Return  to  the  Ovenga  River.— The  Monkeys  and  their  Friends  the 
Birds. — They  live  together. — Watch  by  Moonlight  for  Game. — Kill 
an  Oshengui. .••«•«.»«•••«••«««...«•. .............................................  && 


2039282 


yj  CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER  VIII. 

We  are  in  a  Canoe.— Outfit  for  Hunting. — See  a  beautiful  Antelope. 
—Kill  it.— It  is  a  new  Species.— River  and  forest  Swallows.  .Page  61 

CHAPTER  IX. 

We  hear  the  Cry  of  a  young  Gorilla.—  Start  to  capture  him.— Fight 
with  "his  Father."— We  kill  him.— Kill  the  Mother.— Capture 
of  the  Baby.^-Strange  Camp  Scene 70 

CHAPTER  X. 

Jack  will  have  his  own  way. — He  seizes  my  Leg. — He  tears  my  Panta- 
loons.— He  growls  at  me. — He  refuses  cooked  Food. — Jack  makes 
his  Bed.— Jack  sleeps  with  one  Eye  open. — Jack  is  intractable. ...  81 

CHAPTER  XL 

Start  after  Land-crabs.— Village  of  the  Crabs. — Each  Crab  knows  his 
House. — Great  flight  of  Crabs. — They  bite  hard. — Feast  on  the 
Slain. — A  herd  of  Hippopotami 87 

CHAPTER  XH. 

Strange  Spiders. — The  House-spider. — How  they  capture  their  Prey. 
—How  they  Fight.— Fight  between  a  Wasp  and  a  Spider.— The 
Spider  has  its  Legs  cut  off,  and  is  carried  away. — Burrow  Spider 
watching  for  its  Prey...... ««•*•••.•••.»•«.««.......•••••«••«•••••••••••••••••  9^ 

CHAPTER  XIII. 

We  continue  onr  Wanderings. — Joined  by  Etia. — We  starve. — Gam- 
bo  and  Etia  go  in  search  of  Berries. — A  herd  of  Elephants. — The 
rogue  Elephant  charges  me. — He  is  killed. — He  tumbles  down 
near  me. — Story  of  Redjioua 106 

CHAPTER  XIV. 

A  formidable  Bird.— The  People  are  afraid  of  it.— A  Baby  carried 
off  by  the  Guanionien. — A  Monkey  also  seized. — I  discover  a  Gua- 
nionien  Nest. — I  watch  for  the  Eagles 119 

CHAPTER  XV. 

The  Cascade  of  Niama-Biembai.— A  native  Camp.— Starting  for  the 
Hunt.— A  Man  attacked  by  a  Gorilla.— His  Gun  broken.— The 
Man  dies. — His  Burial 127 

CHAPTER  XVI. 

Funeral  of  the  Gorilla's  Victim.— A  Man's  Head  for  the  Alumbi.— 
The  Snake  and  the  Guinea-fowl.— Snake  killed.— Visit  to  the 
House  of  the  Alumbi. — Determine  to  visit  the  Sea-coast IZt 


CONTENTS.  VH 

CHAPTER  XVII. 

At  Washington  once  more.— Delights  of  the  Sea-shore. — I  have  been 
made  a  Makaga. — Friends  object  to  my  Return  into  the  Jungle. — 
Quengueza  taken  Sick. — Gives  a  Letter  to  his  Nephew. — Taking 
leave Page  148 

CHAPTER  XVIII. 

Departure. — Arrival  at  Goumbi. — The  People  ask  for  the  King.— A 
Death-panic  in  Goumbi. — A  Doctor  sent  for. — Death  to  the  Ani- 
embaa.— Three  Women  accused. — They  are  tried  and  killed 148 

CHAPTER  XIX. 

Quengueza  orders  Hogo  to  be  consulted  about  his  Illness. — What  the 
People  think  of  Hogo. — A  nocturnal  Seance. — Song  to  Hogo. — A 
female  Medium. — What  Ilogo  said 163 

CHAPTER  XX. 

Departure  from  Goumbi. — Querlaouen's  Village. — Find  it  deserted. 
— Querlaouen  dead. — He  has  been  killed  by  an  Elephant. — Ar- 
rive at  Obindji's  Town. — Meeting  with  Querlaouen's  Widow.— 
Jieither  Malaouen  nor  Gambo  at  home 167 

CHAPTER  XXI. 

Leave  for  Ashira  Land. — In  a  Swamp. — Cross  the  Mountains. — A 
Leopard  after  us. — Reach  the  Ashira  Country ^.........^.  17A 

CHAPTER  XXII. 

Great  Mountains. — Ashira  Land  is  beautiful. — The  People  are  afraid. 
— Reach  Akoonga's  Village. — King  Olenda  sends  Messengers  and 
Presents.— I  reach  Olenda's  Village 181 

CHAPTER  XXIH. 

King  Olenda  comes  to  receive  me.— He  is  very  old.— Never  saw  a 
Man  so  old  before. — He  beats  his  Kendo. — He  salutes  me  with 
his  Kombo.— Kings  alone  can  wear  the  Kendo 185 

CHAPTER  XXIV. 

They  all  come  to  see  me. — They  say  I  have  an  Evil  Eye. — Ashira 
Villages. — Olenda  gives  a  great  Ball  in  my  Honor. — Beer-houses. 
—Goats  coming  out  of  a  Mountain  alive 190 

CHAPTER  XXV. 

Ascension  of  the  Ofonbon-Orerfe  and  Andele  Mountains. — The  Ashi- 
ras  bleed  their  Hands. — Story  of  a  Fight  between  a  Gorilla  and  a 
Leopard. — The  Gorilla  and  the  Elephant.— Wild  Boars 19? 


vij£  CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER  XXVI. 

Propose  to  start  for  Haunted  Mountains. — Olenda  says  it  can  not  be 
done. — At  last  I  leave  Olenda  Village. — A  Tornado. — We  are 
Lost. — We  fight  a  Gorilla. — We  kill  a  Leopard. — Return  to  Olen- 
da  Page  203 

CHAPTER  XXVII. 

Departure  for  the  Apingi  Country. — The  Ovigui  River. — Dangerous 
Bridge  to  Cross. — How  the  Bridge  was  built. — Glad  to  escape 
Drowning. — On  the  WTay. — Reach  the  Oloumy 217 

CHAPTER  XXVIII. 

A  Gorilla.— How  he  attacked  me.— I  kill  him.— Minsho  tells  a  Story 
of  two  Gorillas  fighting. — We  meet  King  Remandji. — I  fall  into 
an  Elephant-pit.— Reach  Apingi  Land 226 

CHAPTER  XXIX. 

First  Day  in  Apingi  Land.— I  fire  a  Gun.— The  Natives  are  Fright- 
ened.— I  give  the  King  a  Waistcoat. — He  wears  it. — The  Sapadi 
People. — The  Music-box. — I  must  make  a  Mountain  of  Beads....  238 

CHAPTER  XXX. 

A  large  Fleet  of  Canoes.— We  ascend  the  River.— The  King  paddles 
my  Canoe. — Agobi's  Village. — We  upset. — The  King  is  furious. — 
Okabi,  the  Charmer.— I  read  the  Bible.— The  People  are  afraid...  246 

CHAPTER  XXXI. 

A  great  Crowd  of  Strangers. — I  am  made  a  King. — I  remain  in  my 
Kingdom. — Good-by  to  the  Young  Folks 2o8 


ILLUSTRATIONS. 


SHOOTING  A  LEOPARD Frontispiece. 

THE  KOYAL  CANOE 15 

THE  MANGA 25 

THE  MPANO 29 

FELLING  EBONY-TREES 31 

BRINGING  IN  THE  WOUNDED 43 

WATCHING  BIRDS  AND  MONKEYS 57 

SHOOTING  THE  NEW  ANTELOPE 66 

QUERLAODEN  AND  HIS  IDOL 78 

CAUGHT  BY  JACK S'2 

GORILLA  SLEEPING 85 

CATCHING  THE  OGOMBONS 00 

BIT  BY  A  SPIDER 99 

DEATH  OP  THE  BULL  ELEPHANT Ill 

GUANIONIEN  CARRYING  OFF  A  MoNDI 122 

GAMBO'S  FRIEND  KILLED  BY  A  GORILLA 133 

BIDDING  GOOD-BY  TO  QUENGCEZA 147 

"  CHALLY,  CHALLY,  DO  NOT  LET  ME  DIE" 155 

THE  SONGS  TO  ILOGO 163 

GIVING  BEADS  TO  QUERLAOUEN'S  WIFE 173 

GOING  TO  ASHIRA  LAND 177 

RECEPTION  OF  THE  KING  OF  THE  ASHIRAS 186 

THE  KENDO 189 

DRINKING  PLANTAIN  BEER 193 

ATTACK  ON  THE  WILD  BOARS 201 

AN  ASHIRA  IDOL 202 

CROSSING  THE  OVIGUI  RIVER 222 

THE  ELEPHANT-TRAP 233 

THE  MUSIC-BOX 243 

OKABI  AND  THE  LEOPARD 252 

^Jt  HOUSEKEEPER  •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• 256 


CHAPTER  I. 

PAUL'S  LETTER  TO  HIS  YOUNG   FRIENDS,  IN  WHICH  HE  PRE- 
PARES  THEM   FOR   BEING  "  LOST  IN   THE  JUNGLE." 

MY  DEAR  YOUNG  FOLKS, — In  the  first  book  which  I 
wrote  for  you,  we  traveled  together  through  the  Gorilla 
Country,  and  saw  not  only  the  gigantic  apes,  but  also  the 
cannibal  tribes  which  eat  men. 

In  the  second  book  we  continued  our  hunting,  and 
met  leopards,  elephants,  hippopotami,  wild  boars,  great 
serpents,  etc.,  etc.  We  were  stung  and  chased  by  the 
fierce  Bashikouay  ants,  and  plagued  by  flies. 

Last  spring,  your  friend  Paul,  not  satisfied  with  writ' 
ing  for  young  folks,  took  it  into  his  head  to  lecture  before 
them.  When  I  mentioned  the  subject  to  my  acquaint- 
ances, many  of  them  laughed  at  the  notion  of  my  lectur- 
ing to  you,  and  a  few  remarked, "  This  is  another  of  your 
queer  notions."  I  did  not  see  it ! !  I  I  thought  I  would 
try. 

Thousands  of  young  folks  came  to  your  friend  Paul's 


12  X  OST  IN  THE  JUNGLE. 

lectures  in  Boston,  Brooklyn,  and  New  York ;  not  only 
did  my  young  friends  come,  but  a  great  many  old  folks 
were  also  seen  among  them. 

The  intelligent,  eager  faces  of  his  young  hearers,  their 
sparkling  eyes,  spoke  to  him  more  eloquently  than  words 
could  do,  and  told  him  that  he  had  done  well  to  go  into 
the  great  jungle  of  Equatorial  Africa,  and  that  they  liked 
to  hear  what  he  had  done  and  what  he  had  seen. 

When  he  asked  the  girls  and  boys  of  New  York  if  he 
should  write  more  books  for  them,  the  tremendous  cheers 
and  hurras  they  gave  him  in  reply  told  him  that  he  had 
better  go  to  work. 

When,  at  the  end  of  his  third  lecture,  he  made  his  ap- 
pearance in  the  old  clothes  he  had  worn  in  Africa,  and 
said  he  would  be  happy  to  shake  hands  with  his  young 
hearers,  the  rush  then  made  assured  him  that  they  were 
his  friends.  Oh !  how  your  hearty  hand-shaking  glad- 
dened the  heart  of  your  friend  Paul ;  he  felt  BO  happy 
as  your  small  hands  passed  in  and  out  of  his ! 

Before  writing  this  new  volume,  I  went  to  my  good 
and  esteemed  friends,  my  publishers  in  Franklin  Square, 
and  asked  them  what  they  thought  of  a  new  book  for 
Young  Folks. 

"  Certainly,"  they  said ;  "  by  all  means,  Friend  Paul. 
Write  a  new  book,  for  STOKIES  OF  THE  GOKILLA  COUNTRY 
and  WILD  LIFE  UNDER  THE  EQUATOK  are  in  great  de- 
mand." 

I  immediately  took  hold  of  my  old  journals,  removed 
the  African  dust  from  them,  and  went  to  work,  and  now 
we  are  going  to  be  LOST  IN  THE  JUHGLE. 

There  are  countries  and  savages  with  which  you  hs.— 


ItEADY  TO  START.  13 

been  made  acquainted  in  the  two  preceding  volumes  of 
which  you  will  hear  no  more.  Miengai,  Ngolai,  and  Ma- 
kinda  are  not  to  lead  us  through  a  country  of  cannibals. 
Aboko  will  slay  no  more  elephants  with  me.  Fasiko 
and  Niamkala  are  to  be  left  in  their  own  country,  and 
to  many  a  great  chief  we  have  said  good-by  forever. 

If  we  have  left  good  friends  and  tribes  of  savage  men, 
we  will  go  into  new  countries  and  among  other  strange 
people.  We  shall  have  lots  of  adventures ;  we  will 
slay  more  wild  beasts,  and  will  have  fierce  encounters 
with  them,  and  some  pretty  narrow  escapes.  We  will 
have  some  very  hard  times  when  "  lost  in  the  jungle ;" 
we  will  be  hungry  and  starving  for  many  a  day ;  we  will 
see  how  curiously  certain  tribes  live,  what  they  eat  and 
drink,  how  they  build,  and  what  they  worship  ;  and,  be- 
fore the  end  of  our  wanderings,  you  will  see  your  friend 
Paul  made  KING  over  a  strange  people  1  It  makes  him 
laugh  even  now  when  he  thinks  of  it. 

I  am  sure  we  will  not  always  like  our  life  in  the 
woods,  but  I  hope,  nevertheless,  that  you  will  not  be  sorry 
to  have  gone  with  me  in  the  strange  countries  where  I 
am  now  to  lead  you. 

Let  us  get  ready  to  start.  Let  us  prepare  our  rifles, 
guns,  and  revolvers,  arid  take  with  us  a  large  quantity  of 
shoes,  quinine,  powder,  bullets,  shot,  and  lots  of  beads 
and  other  things  to  make  presents  to  the  kings  and  peo- 
ple we  shall  meet.  Oh  dear,  what  loads !  and  every  thing 
has  to  be  carried  on  the  backs  of  men  !  I  shudder  when 
1  think  of  the  trouble ;  but  never  mind ;  we  shall  get 
through  our  trials,  sickness,  and  dangers  safely.  Fn 
avant  /  that  is  to  say,  forward  1 


CHAPTER  IL 

1  QUEER  CANOE. ON  THE  KEMBO. WE  BEACH   THE   NTEM- 

BOUAI. A   DESERTED    VILLAGE. GAZELLE    ATTACKED   BY 

A   SNAKE. ETIA   WOUNDED   BY   A   GORILLA. 

THE  sun  is  hot ;  it  is  midday.  The  flies  are  plaguing 
us ;  the  boco,  the  nchouna,  the  ibolai  are  hard  at  work, 
and  the  question  is,  which  of  these  three  flies  will  bite  us 
the  hardest ;  they  feel  lively,  for  they  like  this  kind  of 
weather,  and  they  swarm  round  our  canoes. 

I  wish  you  could  have  seen  the  magnificent  canoes  we 
had ;  they  were  made  of  single  trunks  of  huge  trees. 
"We  had  left  the  village  of  Goumbi,  where  my  good 
friend  Quengueza,  of  whom  I  have  spoken  before,  and 
the  best  friend  I  had  in  Africa,  reigned. 

Our  canoes  were  paddling  against  the  current  of  the 
narrow  and  deep  River  Rembo.  You  may  well  ask 
yourselves  where  is  the  place  for  which  I  am  bound.  If 
you  had  seen  us  you  might  have  thought  we  were  going 
to  make  war,  for  the  canoes  were  full  of  men  who  were 
covered  with  all  their  war  fetiches ;  their  faces  were  paint- 
ed, and  they  were  loaded  with  implements  of  war.  The 
drums  beat  furiously,  and  the  paddlers,  as  we  ascended, 
were  singing  war -songs,  and  at  times  they  would  sing 
praises  in  honor  of  their  king,  saying  that  Quengueza 
was  above  all  kings. 


A  QUEER  CANOL. 


15 


Quengueza  and  I  were  in  the  royal  canoe,  a  superb 
piece  of  wood  over  sixty  feet  long,  the  prow  being  an 
imitation  of  an  immense  crocodile's  head,  whose  jawa 
were  wide  open,  showing  its  big,  sharp,  pointed  teeth. 
This  was  emblematic,  and  meant  that  it  would  swallow 
all  the  enemies  of  the  king.  In  our  canoe  there  were 


TUE    BOYAL.    CA.Mjt. 


,more  than  sixty  paddlers.  At  the  stern  was  seated  old 
Quengueza,  the  queen,  who  held  an  umbrella  over  the 
head  of  his  majesty,  and  myself,  and  seated  back  of  us 
all  was  Adouma,  the  king's  nephew,  who  was  armed  with 
an  immense  paddle,  by  which  he  guided  the  canoe. 

How  warm  it  was !     Every  few  minutes  I  dipped  my 
old  Panama  hat,  which  was  full  of  green  leaves,  into  the 


16  L  OST  IN  THE  JUNGLE. 

water,  and  also  my  umbrella,  for,  I  tell  you,  the  sun 
seemed  almost  as  hot  as  fire.  The  bodies  of  the  poor 
paddlers  were  shining  with  the  oil  that  exuded  from 
their  skin. 

If  you  had  closely  inspected  our  canoes  you  would 
have  seen  a  great  number  of  axes;  also  queer-looking 
harpoons,  the  use  of  which  you  might  well  be  curious 
about.  We  were  bound  for  a  river  or  creek  called  the 
Niembouai,  and  on  what  I  may  call  an  African  picnic ; 
that  is  to  say,  we  were  going  to  build  a  camp  on  the 
banks  of  that  river,  and  then  we  were  to  hunt  wild  beasts 
of  the  forest,  but,  above  all,  we  were  to  try  to  harpoon  an 
enormous  creature  called  by  the  natives  manga,  a  huge 
thing  living  in  fresh  water,  and  which  one  might  imagine 
to  be  a  kind  of  whale. 

The  distance  from  Goumbi  to  Niembouai  was  about 
fifteen  miles.  After  three  hours'  paddling  against  a 
strong  current  we  reached  the  Niembouai  River.  As  we 
entered  this  stream  the  strong  current  ceased ;  the  water 
became  sluggish,  and  seemed  to  expand  into  a  kind  of 
lake,  covered  in  many  places  with  a  queer  kind  of  long 
tufted  reed.  For  miles  round  the  country  looked  entire- 
ly desolate.  Now  and  then  a  flock  of  pelicans  were  seen 
swimming,  and  a  long-legged  crane  was  looking  on  the 
shore  for  fish. 

At  the  mouth  of  the  Niembouai,  on  a  high  hill,  stood 
an  abandoned  Bakalai  village  called  Akaka ;  the  chief, 
whom  I  had  known,  was  dead,  and  the  people  had  fled 
for  fear  of  the  evil  spirits.  Nothing  was  left  of  the  vil- 
lage but  a  few  plantain-trees ;  the  walls  of  the  huts  had 
all  tumbled  down. 

How  dreary  all  seemed  for  miles  round  Akaka.     The 


A  STORM.  17 

lands  were  overflowed,  and,  as  I  have  said  before,  were 
covered  with  reeds.  Far  off  against  the  sky,  toward  the 
east -northeast,  towered  high  mountain  peaks,  which  I 
hoped  to  explore.  They  rose  blue  against  the  sky,  and 
seemed,  as  I  looked  at  them  through  my  telescope,  to  be 
covered  with  vegetation  to  their  very  tops.  These 
mountains  were  the  home  of  wild  men  and  still  wilder 
beasts.  I  thought  at  once  how  nice  it  would  be  for  me 
to  plant  the  Stars  and  Stripes  on  the  highest  mountains 
there. 

As  we  advanced  farther  up  the  river  the  mountains 
were  lost  sight  of,  and  still  we  paddled  up  the  Niem- 
bouai.  Canoe  after  canoe  closed  upon  us,  until  at  last 
the  whole  fleet  of  King  Qnengueza  were  abreast  of  the 
royal  canoe,  when  I  fired  a  gun,  which  was  responded  to 
by  a  terrific  yell  from  all  the  men. 

Then  Quengueza,  with  a  loud  voice,  gave  the  order  to 
make  for  a  spot  to  which  he  pointed,  where  we  were  to 
land  and  build  our  camp.  Soon  afterward  we  reached 
the  place,  and  found  the  land  dry,  covered  with  huge 
trees  to  protect  us  from  the  intense  heat  of  the  sun,  from 
the  heavy  dews  of  night,  and  from  slight  showers. 

The  men  all  scattered  into  the  forest,  some  to  cut  long 
poles  and  short  sticks  for  our  beds ;  others  went  to  col- 
lect palm-leaves  to  make  a  kind  of  matting  to  be  used 
as  roofing.  The  first  thing  to  be  done  was  for  the  peo- 
ple to  make  a  nice  olako  for  their  king  and  myself. 

Our  shelter  was  hardly  finished  when  a  terrible  rain- 
storm burst  upon  us,  preceded  by  a  most  terrific  tornador 
for  we  were  in  the  month  of  March.  By  sunset  the 
storm  was  all  over ;  it  cooled  the  air  deliciously,  for  the 

heat  had  been  intense.    At  noon,  under  the  shade  of  my 

o 


18  LOST  IN  THE  JUNGLSL 

umbrella  while  in  the  canoe,  the  thermometer  showed 
119°  Fahrenheit. 

We  had  brought  lots  of  food,  and  many  women  had 
accompanied  us,  who  were  to  fish,  and  were  also  to  cook 
for  the  people.  The  harpoons  were  well  taken  care  of, 
for  we  fully  expected  to  harpoon  a  few  of  the  mangas. 

The  manga  canoes  were  to  arrive  during  the  night, 
for  the  canoes  we  had  were  not  fit  for  the  capture  of 
such  large  game. 

In  the  evening  old  Quengueza  was  seated  by  the  side 
of  a  bright  fire ;  the  good  old  man  seemed  quite  happy. 
He  had  brought  with  him  a  jug  of  palm  wine,  from 
which  he  took  a  drink  from  time  to  time,  until  he  be' 
gan  to  feel  the  effects  of  the  beverage,  and  became 
somewhat  jolly.  His  subjects  were  clustered  in  groups 
around  several  huge  fires,  which  blazed  so  brightly  that 
the  whole  forest  seemed  to  be  lighted  by  them. 

I  put  my  two  mats  on  my  bed  of  leaves,  hung  my 
musquito  nets  as  a  protection  against  the  swarms  of 
musquitoes,  then  laid  myself  down  under  it  with  one  of 
my  guns  at  my  side,  placed  my  revolvers  under  my 
head,  and  bid  good-night  to  Quengueza. 

I  did  not  intend  to  go  right  to  sleep,  but  wished  to 
listen  to  the  talk  of  the  people.  The  prospect  of  hav- 
ing plenty  of  meat  to  eat  appeared  to  make  them  mer- 
ry, and  after  each  one  had  told  his  neighbor  how  much 
he  could  eat  if  he  had  it,  and  that  he  could  eat  more 
manga  than  any  other  man  that  he  knew,  the  subject  of 
food  was  exhausted.  Then  came  stories  of  adventures 
with  savage  beasts  and  with  ghosts. 

We  had  in  company  many  great  men.  The  chief  of 
them  all  was  good  old  Quengueza,  formerly  a  great  war- 


ETIA  TELLS  A  STOUT.  19 

rior.  After  the  king  came  Kapero  Ouendogo,  Azisha 
Olenga,  Adouma,  Eakenga  Kikati  Kombe,  and  Wombi 
• — all  men  of  courage  and  daring,  belonging  to  the  Abou- 
ya,  a  clan  of  warriors  and  hunters. 

We  had  slaves  also ;  among  them  many  belonged  to 
the  king — slaves  that  loved  him,  and  whose  courage  was 
as  great  as  that  of  any  man  belonging  to  the  tribe. 
Among  them  was  Etia,  the  mighty  and  great  slayer  of 
gorillas  and  elephants.  Etia  provided  game  for  Quen- 
gueza's  table ;  he  was  one  of  the  beloved  slaves  of  the 
king,  and  he  was  also  a  great  friend  of  mine.  We  were, 
indeed,  old  friends,  for  we  had  hunted  a  good  deal  to- 
gether. 

On  a  sudden  ail  merriment  stopped,  for  Ouendogo  had 
shouted  "  let  Etia  tell  us  some  of  his  hunting  adventures." 
This  order  was  received  with  a  tremendous  cheer,  and 
Etia  was  placed  in  the  centre.  How  eager  were  the 
eyes  and  looks  of  those  who  knew  the  story  -  telling 
gift  of  their  friend  Etia,  who  began  thus :  "  Years  ago, 
I  remember  it  as  well  as  if  it  were  but  yesterday,  I  was 
in  a  great  forest  at  the  foot  of  a  high  hill,  through  which 
a  little  stream  was  murmuring;  the  jungle  was  dense, 
so  much  so  that  I  could  hardly  see  a  few  steps  ahead  of 
me ;  I  was  walking  carefully  along,  very  carefully,  for  I 
was  hunting  after  the  gorilla,  and  I  had  already  met 
with  the  footprints  of  a  huge  one.  I  looked  on  the 
right,  on  the  left,  and  ahead  of  me,  and  I  wished  I  had 
had  four  eyes,  that  is,  two  more  eyes  on  the  back  of  my 
head,  for  I  was  afraid  that  a  great  gorilla  might  spring 
upon  me  from  behind." 

We  all  got  so  impatient  to  hear  the  story  that  we 
shouted  all  at  once, "  Go  on,  Etia,  go  on.  What  did  you 


20  L  OST  IN  THE  JUNGLti. 

see  in  the  bush?  Tell  us  quick."  But  Etia  was  not  to 
be  hurried  faster  than  he  chose.  After  a  short  pause,  he 
continued :  "  I  do  not  know  why,  but  a  feeling  of  fear 
crept  over  me.  I  had  a  presentiment  that  something 
queer  was  going  to  happen.  I  stood  still  and  looked  all 
round  me. 

"  Suddenly  1  spied  a  huge  python  coiled  round  a  tree 
near  to  a  little  brook.  The  serpent  was  perfectly  quiet. 
His  huge  body  was  coiled  several  times  round  the  tree 
close  to  the  ground,  and  there  he  was  waiting  for  ani- 
mals to  come  and  drink.  It  was  the  dry  season,  and 
water  was  very  scarce,  and  many  animals  came  to  that 
spring  to  drink.  I  can  see,  even  to  this  day,  its  glitter- 
ing eyes.  Its  color  was  almost  identical  with  that  of 
the  bark  of  the  tree.  I  immediately  lay  down  behind 
another  tree,  for  I  had  come  also  in  search  of  game,  and 
I  could  do  nothing  better  than  wait  for  the  beasts  to 
come  there  and  drink. 

"  Ere  long  I  spied  a  ncheri  '  gazelle'  coming ;  she 
approached  unsuspicious  of  any  danger.  Just  as  she 
was  in  the  act  of  drinking,  the  snake  sprang  upon  the 
little  beast  and  coiled  himself  round  it.  For  a  short 
time  there  was  a  desperate  struggle ;  the  folds  of  the 
snake  became  tighter  and  tighter  round  the  body  of  the 
poor  animal.  I  could  see  how  slowly,  but  how  surely 
the  snake  was  squeezing  its  prey  to  death.  A  few 
smothered  cries,  and  all  was  over;  the  animal  was  dead. 
Then  the  snake  left  the  tree  and  began  to  swallow  the 
gazelle,  commencing  at  the  head.  It  crushed  the  ani- 
mal more  and  more  in  its  folds.  I  could  hear  the  bones 
crack,  and  I  could  see  the  animal  gradually  disappearing 
down  the  throat  of  the  snake." 


ETIA  WOUNDED  BY  A  GORILLA.  21 

"  Why  did  you  not,  Etia,  kill  the  snake  at  once  ?" 
shouted  one  man,  "  and  then  you  would  have  had  the 
ncheri  for  your  dinner  ?"  "  Wait,"  replied  Etia. 

"After  I  had  watched  the  snake  for  a  short  time,  I 
took  my  cutlass  and  cut  the  big  creature  to  pieces.  That 
night  I  slept  near  the  spot.  I  lighted  a  big  tire,  cooked 
a  piece  of  the  snake  for  my  meal,  and  went  to  sleep. 

"  The  next  morning  I  started  early,  and  went  off  to 
hunt.  I  had  not  been  long  in  the  forest  before  I  heard 
a  noise ;  it  was  a  gorilla.  I  immediately  got  my  gun 
ready,  and  moved  forward  to  meet  him.  I  crept  through 
the  jungle  flat  on  '  my  belly,'  and  soon  I  could  see  the 
great  beast  tearing  down  the  lower  branches  of  a  tree 
loaded  with  fruit.  Suddenly  he  stopped,  and  I  shouted 
to  him, '  Kombo  (male  gorilla),  come  here !  come  here  !* 
He  turned  round  and  gave  a  terrific  yell  or  roar,  his 
fierce,  glaring  eyes  looked  toward  me,  he  raised  his  big 
long  arms  as  if  to  lay  hold  of  me,  and  then  advanced. 
We  were  very  near,  for  I  had  approached  quite  close  be- 
fore I  shouted  my  defiance  to  him. 

"  When  he  was  almost  touching  me,  I  leveled  my  gun 
• — that  gun  which  my  father,  King  Quengueza,  had  giv- 
en me — that  gun  for  which  I  have  made  a  fetich,  and 
which  never  misses  an  animal — then  I  fired.  The  big 
beast  tottered,  and,  as  it  fell,  one  of  his  big  hands  got 
hold  of  one  of  my  legs ;  his  big,  thick,  huge  fingers,  as 
he  gave  his  death-gasp,  contracted  themselves ;  I  gave  a 
great  cry  of  pain,  arid,  seizing  my  battle-axe,  I  dealt  a 
fearful  stroke  and  broke  its  arm  just  above  the  joint. 
But  his  fingers  and  nails  had  gone  deep  into  my  flesh, 
which  it  lacerated  and  tore." 

Etia  pointed  to  his  leg.  and  continued :  "  I  have  nev- 


22  L  OST  IN  THE  JUNGLE. 

er  gotten  over  it  to  this  day,  though  it  is  so  long  ago  that 
very  few  of  you  that  are  here  to-night  were  born  then. 
I  began  to  bleed  and  bleed,  and  feared  that  the  bone  of 
my  leg  was  broken.  I  left  the  body  of  the  gorilla  in 
the  woods,  but  took  its  head  with  me,  and  that  head  I 
have  still  in  my  plantation ;  and  at  times,"  added  Etia, 
"  its  jaws  open  during  the  night,  and  it  roars  and  says, 
1  Etia,  why  have  you  killed  me  ?'  I  am  sure  that  gorilla 
had  been  a  man  before.  That  is  the  reason  I  am  lame 
to  this  day.  I  succeeded  in  reaching  my  pindi  (planta- 
tion), and  my  wife  took  care  of  me ;  but  from  that  day 
I  have  hated  gorillas,  and  I  have  vowed  that  I  would 
kill  as  many  of  them  as  I  could." 

The  story  of  Etia  had  the  effect  of  awakening  every 
one.  They  all  shouted  that  Etia  is  a  great  hunter,  that 
Etia  had  been  bewitched  before  he  started  that  time, 
and  that  if  it  had  not  been  for  Etia  having  a  powerful 
monda  (fetich),  he  would  have  been  killed  by  the  go- 
rilla. 

Our  story-telling  was  interrupted  by  the  arrival  of  ca- 
noes, just  built  for  the  fishing  of  the  manga.  These  ca- 
noes were  unlike  other  canoes ;  they  were  flat-bottomed, 
as  flat  as  a  board ;  the  sides  were  straight,  and  both  ends 
were  sharp-pointed,  and,  when  loaded  with  two  men,  did 
not  draw  in  the  water,  I  am  sure,  half  an  inch.  They 
glided  over  the  water,  causing  scarcely  a  ripple.  There 
was  no  seat,  and  a  man  had  to  paddle  standing  up,  the 
paddle  being  almost  as  long  as  a  man.  These  canoes 
were  about  twenty-five  feet  long,  and  from  eighteen  to 
twenty  inches  broad.  In  them  were  several  queer  kinds 
of  harpoons,  which  were  to  be  used  in  capturing  the 
mangas. 


CHAPTER  IIL 

HARPOONING    A    MANGA. A    GREAT    PRIZE. OUR    CANOE 

CAPSIZED. DESCRIPTION   OF  THE   MANGA. RETURN  TO 

CAMP. 

THE  next  morning,  very  early,  if  you  had  been  on  the 
banks  of  the  Niembouai,  you  would  have  seen  me  on  one 
of  those  long  flat-bottomed  canoes  which  I  have  described 
to  you,  and  in  it  you  would  likewise  have  seen  two  long 
manga  harpoons. 

A  man  by  the  name  of  Ratenou,  who  had  the  reputa* 
tion  of  being  one  of  the  best  manga  harpooners,  and  of 
knowing  where  they  were  to  be  found,  was  with  me.  He 
was  covered  with  fetiches,  and  had  in  a  pot  a  large  quan- 
tity of  leaves  of  a  certain  shrub,  which  had  been  mashed 
with  water  and  then  dried.  This  mixture,  when  scat- 
tered on  the  water,  is  said  to  attract  the  manga. 

When  we  left  the  shore,  being  less  of  an  expert  than 
Hatenou,  and  not  being  able  to  stand  up  so  easily  as  he 
did,  I  seated  myself  at  the  bottom  of  the  canoe.  Rate- 
nou  recommended  me  not  to  move  at  all,  and  while  he 
paddled  I  could  not  even  hear  the  dip  of  his  paddle  in 
the  water,  so  gently  did  our  boat  glide  along. 

We  crossed  the  Niembouai  to  the  opposite  shore,  where 
we  lay  by  among  the  reeds.  By  that  time  the  twilight 
had  just  made  its  appearance,  and  you  know  the  twilight 


24  LOST  IN  THE  JUNGLE. 

is  of  short  duration  under  the  equator ;  indeed,  there  is 
hardly  any  at  all. 

Ratenou  threw  on  the  water,  not  far  from  where  we 
lay  in  watch,  some  of  the  green  stuff  he  had  in  the  pot, 
and  we  had  not  waited  long  before  1  saw,  coming  along 
the  surface  of  the  water,  a  huge  beast,  which  gave  two  or 
three  puffs  and  then  disappeared.  My  man  watched  in- 
tently, and  in  the  mean  time  moved  the  canoe  toward 
the  spot.  We  came  from  behind,  so  that  the  animal 
could  not  see  us,  and,  just  as  the  manga  came  to  the  sur- 
face of  the  water  once  more,  and  gave  three  gentle  puffs, 
Ratenou  sent  the  harpoon  with  tremendons  force  into 
his  body.  The  huge  creature,  with  a  furious  dash  and 
jerk  at  the  line,  made  for  the  bottom  of  the  river.  Kat- 
enou  let  the  line  slip,  but  held  back  as  much  as  he  dared, 
in  ordv.  r  thus  to  increase  the  pain  inflicted  on  the  beast. 
The  suspense  and  excitement  were  great.  The  ani- 
mal dashed  down  to  the  bottom  with  impetuous  haste, 
but  the  harpoon  was  fast  in  him,  and  held  him.  "We 
•watched  the  rope  going  out  with  the  utmost  anxiety. 
The  harpoon  has  hardly  struck  the  manga  when  our  ca- 
noe goes  with  fearful  rapidity.  The  native's  rope  proved 
too  short ;  there  was  not  enough  of  it  to  let  it  go.  Every 
moment  I  fully  expected  to  upset,  and  did  not  relish  the 
idea  at  all.  Finally  the  rope  slackened ;  the  manga  was 
getting  exhausted.  At  last  no  strain  was  observable ; 
the  beast  was  dead.  Without  apparently  much  effort, 
the  line  was  hauled  in,  and  presently  I  saw  the  huge 
beast  alongside  the  canoe. 

"  Let  us  upset  the  canoe,"  said  Ratenou. 

"What!"  said  I. 

"  Let  us  upset  the  canoe."     The  good  fellow,  who  was 


T. H%  MJJTGA. 


25 


not  overloaded  with  clothes,  thought  that  to  be  an  easy 
task ;  bat  I  did  not  look  at  the  proposal  quite  in  the  same 
light ;  so  I  said, "  Ratenou,  let  us  paddle  the  canoe  to  the 
shore,  and  I  will  get  out."  It  was  hardly  said  before  it 
was  done.  I  landed,  and  then  the  huge  manga  was  tied 
to  the  canoe,  the  latter  was  capsized  over  its  back,  and 
then  we  turned  it  over  again. 

This  was  a  big  prize,  for  there  is  no  meat  so  much 
thought  of  among  the  savages  as  that  of  the  manga.  We 
immediately  made  for  the  camp,  and  were  received  with 
uproarious  cheers. 

The  canoe  was  upset  once  nuore,  and  the  big  fresh- 
water monster  was  dragged  ashore.  It  was  hard  work, 
for  the  huge  beast  must  have  weighed  from  fifteen  to 
eighteen  hundred  pounds. 


\ 


THK    .MAN.iv. 


What  a  queer-looking  thing  it  was !  The  manga  is  a 
new  species  of  manatee.  Its  body  is  of  a  dark  lead-col- 
or ;  the  skin  is  very  thick  and  smooth,  and  covered  in  all 
parts  with  single  bristly  hairs,  from  half  an  inch  to  an 


26  LOST  IX  THE  JUXGLE. 

inch  in  length ;  but  the  hairs  are  at  a  distance  from  each 
other,  so  that  the  skin  appears  almost  smooth.  The  eyes 
are  small — very  small ;  it  has  a  queer-looking  head,  the 
>apper  and  lower  parts  of  the  lips  having  very  hard  and 
bristly  hair. 

The  manga  is  unlike  the  whale  in  this,  that  it  has  two 
paddles,  which  are  used  as  hands ;  and,  when  the  flesh  or 
skin  is  removed,  the  skeleton  of  the  paddles  looks  very 
much  like  the  bony  frame  of  a  hand.  I  have  named  this 
curious  species  after  my  most  esteemed  friend,  Professor 
Owen,  of  London,  Manatus  Oweni. 

The  skin  of  the  manga,  when  dried,  is  of  a  most  beau- 
tiful amber  color ;  the  nearer  the  middle  of  the  back,  the 
more  beautiful  and  intense  the  yellow.  The  skin  is 
there  more  than  one  inch  in  thickness.  When  fresh  it 
has  a  milky  color,  but  when  it  dries,  and  the  water  goes 
off,  it  turns  yellow.  That  part  of  the  back  is  carefully 
cut  in  strips  by  the  natives,  who  make  whips  with  it, 
just  in  the  same  way  as  they  do  with  the  hippopotamus 
hide,  and  these  whips  are  used  extensively  on  the  backs 
of  their  wives. 

The  large,  broad  tail,  which  is  shown  in  the  engraving, 
is  used  by  them  as  a  rudder,  while  their  hands  are  used 
as  paddles.  These  hands,  unlike  those  of  seals,  have  no 
claws  or  nails.  This  manga  was  eleven  feet  long,  and 
the  body  looked  quite  huge. 

Mangas  feed  entirely  on  grass  and  the  leares  of  trees, 
the  branches  of  which  fall  into  the  water ;  they  feed, 
also,  on  the  grass  found  at  the  bottom  of  the  rivers. 

In  looking  at  such  curious  shaped  things,  I  could  not 
help  thinking  what  queer  animals  were  found  on  our 
"lobe. 


HO  W  THE  MAXGAS  EA  T  LEA  VES.  2  7 

The  doctor  was  greatly  rejoiced  at  our  success.  Then 
came  the  ceremony  of  cutting  up  the  beast ;  but,  before 
commencing,  Katenon,  the  manga  doctor,  went  through 
some  ceremony  round  the  carcase  which  he  did  not  want 
any  one  to  see.  After  a  little  he  began  to  cut  up  the 
meat. 

It  was  very  fat ;  on  the  stomach  the  fat  must  have  been 
about  two  inches  thick.  The  lean  meat  was  white,  with 
a  reddish  tinge,  and  looked  very  nice.  It  is  delicious, 
something  like  pork,  but  iiner  grained  and  of  sweeter 
flavor.  It  must  be  smoked  for  a  few  days  in  order  to 
have  it  in  perfection. 

We  cut  the  body  into  pieces  of  about  half  a  pound 
each,  and  put  them  on  the  oralas  and  smoked  Master 
Manga.  The  fragrance  filled  our  camp. 

The  manga  belongs  to  the  small  but  singular  group 
of  animals  classed  as  SIRENIA< 

I  have  often  watched  these  manga  feeding  on  the 
leaves  of  trees,  the  branches  of  which  hung  close  to  the 
water.  The  manga's  head  only  shows  above  the  water. 
When  thus  seen,  the  manga  bears  a  curious  resemblance 
to  a  human  being.  They  never  go  ashore,  and  do  not 
crawl  even  partly  out  of  the  water.  They  must  some- 
times weigh  as  much  as  two  to  three  thousand  pounds. 


m 


CHAPTER  IV. 

WE   GO   INTO  THE  FOREST. HUNT   FOR   EBONY-TEEES. THB 

FISH-EAGLES. CAPTURE   OF   A   YOUNG   EAGLE. IMPEND- 
ING  FIGHT   WITH   THEM. FEARFUL   ROARS    OF    GORILLAS. 

GORILLAS   BREAKING   DOWN   TREES. 

SEVERAL  weeks  have  passed  since  we  left  the  Niem- 
bouai.  I  have  been  alone  with  my  three  great  hunt- 
ers, Querlaouen,  Gambo,  and  Malaouen.  We  are  sworn 
friends ;  we  have  resolved  to  live  in  the  woods  and  to 
wander  through  them.  Several  times  since  we  left  our 
manga-fishing  we  have  been  "lost  in  the  jungle." 

We  have  had  some  very  hard  times,  but  splendid  hunt- 
ing ;  and  on  the  evening  of  that  day  of  which  I  speak,  we 
were  quietly  seated  somewhere  near  the  left  bank  of  the 
River  Ovenga,  by  the  side  of  a  bright  fire,  and,  at  the 
same  time  my  men  enjoyed  their  smoke,  we  talked  over 
the  future  prospects  of  our  life  in  the  forest. 

That  evening  I  said, "  Boys,  let  us  go  into  the  forest 
and  look  for  ebony-trees ;  I  want  to  find  them ;  I  must 
take  some  of  that  wood  with  me  when  I  go  back  to  the 
land  of  '  the  spirits.' "  Malouen,  Gambo,  and  Querlaou- 
en  shouted  at  once, "  Let  us  go  in  search  of  the  ebony- 
tree  ;  let  us  choose  a  spot  where  we  shall  be  able  to  find 
game."  For  I  must  tell  you  that  good  eating  was  one 
of  the  weak  points  of  my  three  friends. 

The  ebony-tree  is  scattered  through  the  forest  in  clus- 


HOW  AN  EBONY-TREE  LOOKS.  29 

ters.  It  is  one  of  the  finest  and  most  graceful  among 
the  many  lovely  trees  that  adorn  the  African  forest.  Its 
leaves  are  long,  sharp-pointed,  and  of  a  dark  green  col- 
or. Its  bark  is  smooth,  and  also  a  dark  green.  The 
trunk  rises  straight  as  an  arrow.  Queer  to  say,  the  eb- 
ony-tree, when  old,  becomes  hollow,  and  even  some  of  its 
branches  are  hollow.  Next  to  the  bark  is  a  white  "  sap- 
wood."  Generally  that  sap-wood  is  three  or  four  inches 
thick ;  so,  unless  one  knows  the  tree  by  the  bark,  the  first 
few  blows  of  an  axe  would  not  reveal  to  him  the  dark, 
black  wood  found  inside.  Young  ebony-trees  of  two 
feet  diameter  are  often  perfectly  white ;  then,  as  the  tree 
grows  bigger,  the  black  part  is  streaked  with  the  white, 
and  as  the  tree  matures,  the  black  predominates,  and 
eventually  takes  the  place  of  the  white.  The  wood  of 
the  ebony-tree  is  very  hard ;  the  grain  short  and  very 
brittle. 

Yon  can  see  that  it  is  no  slight  work  to  cut  down  such 
big  trees  with  the  small  axes  we  had,  such  as  represent- 
ed in  the  accompanying  drawing.  I  show  you,  also,  the 


30  LOST  IN  THE  JUNGLE. 

drawing  of  a  mpano,  which  is  the  instrument  used  in 
hollowing  out  the  trunks  of  trees  to  make  canoes. 

After  wandering  for  some  hours  we  found  several  ebo- 
ny-trees. How  beautiful  they  were,  and  how  graceful 
was  the  shape  of  their  sharp-pointed  leaves !  These  trees 
were  not  very  far  from  the  river,  or  I  should  rather  say 
from  a  creek  which  fell  into  the  Ovenga  River,  so  that 
it  would  not  be  difficult  to  carry  our  ebony  logs  to  the 
banks  and  there  load  them  on  canoes. 

We  immediately  went  to  work  and  built  a  nice  camp. 
We  had  with  us  two  boys,  Njali  and  Nola,  who  had  been 
sent  with  a  canoe  laden  with  provisions  from  one  of 
Querlaouen's  plantations,  and  which  his  wife  had  for- 
warded to  us.  Some  bunches  of  plantains  were  of  enor- 
mous size.  There  were  two  bunches  of  bananas  for  me, 
and  sundry  baskets  of  cassava  and  peanuts.  There  was 
also  a  little  parcel  of  dried  fish,  which  Querlaouen's  wife 
had  sent  specially  to  her  friend  Chally. 

We  set  to  work,  and  soon  succeeded  in  felling  two 
ebony-trees.  We  arranged  to  go  hunting  in  the  morn- 
ing, and  cut  the  wood  into  billets  in  the  afternoon.  As 
we  were  not  in  a  hurry,  and  it  was  rather  hard  work,  we 
determined  to  take  our  time. 

By  the  side  of  our  camp  we  had  a  beautiful  little 
stream,  where  we  obtained  our  drinking  water,  and  a  lit- 
tle below  that  spot  there  was  a  charming  place  where  we 
could  take  a  bath. 

Not  far  from  our  camp  there  was  a  creek  called  Eliva 
Mono  (the  Mullet's  Creek),  so  named  on  account  of  the 
great  number  of  mullets  which  at  a  certain  season  of  the 
year  come  there  to  spawn.  Besides  the  mono,  the  creeV 
contained  great  numbers  of  a  fish  called  condo.  Large 
and  tall  trees  grew  on  the  banks  of  the  creek. 


A  EESORT  FOR  FISH-EAGLES. 


31 


FELLING    EBONY-TBEE8. 


This  creek  was  at  that  time  of  the  year  a  resort  for  the 
large  fish-eagles.  These  birds  could  look  down  from 
the  tops  of  the  high  trees,  on  which  they  perched,  upon 
the  water  below,  and  watch  for  their  finny  prey. 

The  waters  of  the  creek  were  so  quiet  that  half  the 
time  not  a  ripple  could  bejaeen  on  them.  High  up  on 


32  LOST  IN  THE  JUNGLE. 

some  of  the  trees  could  be  seen  the  nests  belonging  to 
these  birds  of  prey. 

There  were  several  eagles,  and  they  belonged  to  two 
different  species.  One  was  called  by  the  natives  coun- 
ffou,  and  was  known  all  over  the  country,  for  it  is  found 
as  far  as  the  sea.  Its  body  was  white,  and  of  the  size  of 
a  fowl,  and  it  had  black  wings,  the  spread  of  which  was 
very  great,  and  the  birds  were  armed  with  thick  and 
strong  talons.  The  females  were  of  a  gray  color. 

Another  eagle  was  also  found  on  the  creek.  It  was  a 
larger  bird,  of  dark  color,  and  called  by  the  natives  the 
compagnondo  (Tephrodornis  ocreatus).  The  shrill  cries 
of  this  bird  could  be  heard  at  a  great  distance,  sounding 
strangely  in  the  midst  of  the  great  soliuude.  Both  these 
eagles  feed  on  fish,  and  two  of  the  coungous  had  their 
nest  on  the  top  of  a  very  high  tree,  and  in  that  nest  there 
were  young  ones.  The  nest  was  built,  like  most  of  the 
fish-eagles'  nests,  with  sticks  of  trees,  and  occupied  a 
space  of  several  feet  in  diameter.  When  once  the  nest 
is  built  it  is  occupied  a  good  number  of  years  in  succes- 
sion. It  is  generally  placed  between  the  forks  of  the 
branches,  and  can  be  seen  at  a  great  distance.  Each 
year  the  nest  requires  repairs,  which  both  the  male  and 
female  birds  attend  to.  These  coungous  seemed  very 
much  attached  to  each  other.  After  one  of  a  pair  had 
been  shot,  I  would  hear  the  solitary  one  calling  for  its 
mate,  and  it  would  remain  day  after  day  near  the  spot, 
and  at  last  would  either  take  another  mate  or  fly  off  to 
another  country.  When  a  pair  of  coungous,  male  and 
female,  were  killed,  then  the  next  year  another  couple 
would  take  possession  of  their  nest. 

I  often  watched  the  coungous'  nest    They  were  al* 


CAPTURE  OF  A  TO  UNO  EAGLE.  33 

ways  on  the  look-out  for  fish.  Now  and  then  they  would 
dive  and  seize  a  fine  mullet,  which  they  would  carry  up 
to  their  young  and  feed  them.  How  quick  they  were  in 
their  motion  !  Sometimes  one  would  catch  a  fish  so  big 
and  heavy  that  it  seemed  hardly  strong  enough  to  rise  in 
the  air  with  it.  The  natives  say  that  sometimes  the  ea- 
gles are  carried  under  the  water  when  they  have  caught 
a  fish  too  big  for  their  strength,  and  from  whose  body 
they  can  not  extricate  their  firmly-fixed  talons  before  the 
fish  dives  to  the  bottom. 

When  the  old  birds  approached  the  nest  with  food  the 
young  ones  became  very  noisy,  evincing  their  impatience 
for  the  treat  of  fresh  fish,  with  which  the  parents  some- 
times hovered  over  the  nest  as  if  desirous  of  tantalizing 
their  appetite. 

One  day  I  took  it  into  my  head  to  have  the  tree  cut 
down,  so  that  I  could  examine  the  nest.  The  old  birds 
were  greatly  excited,  for  they  saw  that  something  was 
wrong.  At  last  the  tree  fell  with  a  great  crash.  I  im- 
mediately made  for  the  nest,  and  I  can  not  tell  you  what 
a  stench  arose  from  it ;  it  was  fearful.  Remnants  of  de- 
cayed fish  and  many  other  kinds  of  offal  made  a  smell 
which  it  was  surprising  the  young  eagles  could  endure. 
In  the  mean  time  the  young  ones  had  tumbled  out  of 
the  nest,  and  while  we  were  looking  for  them,  and  just 
after  I  had  captured  one,  the  parents  came  swooping 
down.  Goodness !  I  thought  I  was  going  to  be  attacked 
by  them,  for  they  hovered  round,  sometimes  coming  quite 
close  to  me ;  once  or  twice  I  thought  my  hat  at  least 
would  be  carried  off.  Becoming  worried,  I  raised  my 
gun  and  fired,  and  killed  the  male ;  then  the  female  got 
frightened  and  flew  away.  The  young  were  covered. 


34  LOST  IN  THE  JUNGLE. 

with  gray  down.  They  must  certainly  possess  very  lim- 
ited powers  of  smell,  for  I  can  not  see  how  any  living 
thing  could  exist  in  the  midst  of  such  odors. 

On  one  of  my  excursions  up  the  creek  I  discovered 
another  coungou  nest,  and,  as  it  was  not  built  in  a  very 
high  tree,  I  determined  to  examine  its  economy.  So, 
with  pretty  hard  work,  I  climbed  up  another  tree,  from 
whence,  with  the  aid  of  my  field-telescope,  I  could  watch 
all  that  went  on  in  the  nest,  which  contained  two  young 
eagles.  During  the  first  few  days  the  old  birds  would 
feed  their  young  by  tearing  the  flesh  of  the  fish  with 
their  beaks,  while  their  talons  held  it  fast.  When  the 
couiigous  are  young,  the  male  and  female  have  the  same 
gray  plumage,  which  in  the  male  turns  white  and  black 
when  old. 

One  fine  afternoon  I  left  the  camp  all  alone,  Gambo, 
Malaouen,  and  Querlaouen  being  fast  asleep.  Before  I 
knew  it,  I  found  myself  far  away,  for  I  had  been  think- 
ing of  home  and  of  friends,  and,  walking  in  a  good  hunt- 
ing path,  I  had  gone  farther  than  I  thought,  and  time 
had  fled  pleasantly.  I  carried  on  my  shoulder  a  double- 
barrel,  smooth-bore  gun,  intending  to  take  a  short  walk 
in  the  woods.  When  I  looked  at  my  watch,  it  was  2 
o'clock !  I  had  been  gone  three  hours.  Just  as  I  was 
ready  to  turn  back,  I  thought  I  heard  distant  thunder. 
I  listened  attentively,  and  I  perceived  that  the  noise  was 
not  thunder,  but  the  terrific  roar  of  a  gorilla  at  some 
distance.  Though  it  was  getting  late,  I  thought  I  would 
go  in  that  direction;  so  I  took  out  the  small  shot  with 
which  one  of  the  barrels  of  my  gun  was  loaded,  and  put 
in  a  heavy  bullet  instead.  My  revolvers  were  in  the 
belt  round  my  waist,  and  had  been  loaded  that  very 


A.  MAN  GORILLA  A2fD  HIS  WIPE.  35 

morning.  As  I  approached  the  spot  where  the  beast 
was,  the  more  awful  sounded  the  roar,  till  at  last  the 
whole  forest  re-echoed  with  the  din,  and  appeared  to 
shake  with  the  tremendous  voice  of  the  animal.  Jt  was 
awful ;  it  was  appalling  to  hear.  What  lungs  the  mon- 
ster had,  to  enable  him  to  emit  so  deep  and  awe-inspir- 
ing a  noise.  The  other  inhabitants  of  the  forest  seemed 
to  be  silent;  the  few  birds  that  were  in  it  had  stopped 
their  warbling.  Suddenly  I  heard  a  crash — two  crashes. 
The  animal  was  in  the  act  of  breaking  the  limbs  of 
trees.  Then  the  noise  of  the  breaking  of  trees  ceased, 
and  the  roar  of  the  monster  recommenced.  This  time 
it  was  answered  by  a  weaker  roar.  The  echoes  swelled 
and  died  away  from  hill  to  hill,  and  the  whole  forest  was 
filled  with  the  din.  The  man  gorilla  and  his  wife  were 
talking  together :  they  no  doubt  understood  each  other, 
but  I  could  not  hear  any  articulate  sound.  I  stopped 
and  examined  my  gun.  Just  as  I  got  ready  to  enter  the 
jungle  from  the  hunting-path  to  go  after  the  male  go- 
rilla, the  roaring  ceased.  I  waited  for  its  renewal,  but 
the  silence  of  the  forest  was  no  more  to  be  disturbed 
that  day. 

After  waiting  half  an  hour  I  hurried  back  toward  the 
camp.  I  walked  as  fast  as  I  could,  for  I  was  afraid  that 
darkness  would  overtake  me.  Six  o'clock  found  me  in 
the  woods ;  the  sun  had  just  set,  and  the  short  twilight 
of  the  equator  which  followed  the  setting  of  the  sun 
warned  me  to  hurry  faster  than  ever  if  I  wanted  to  reach 
the  camp.  Hark !  I  hear  voices.  What  can  these  voices 
be,  those  of  friends  or  enemies?  I  moved  from  the 
hunting-path  and  ascended  an  adjacent  tree,  but  soon  I 
heard  voices  that  I  recognized  as  those  of  Malao»en  and 


36  L  OST  IN  THE  JUNGLE. 

Querlaouen  shouting  "Moguizi,  where  are  you?  Mo 
guizi,  where  are  you  ?"  I  responded  "  I  am  coining !  1 
am  coming !"  and  soon  after  they  gave  a  tremendous 
hurrah ;  we  had  met. 

We  soon  reached  the  camp,  and  I  rested  my  wearj? 
limbs  by  the  side  of  a  blazing  fire  and  dried  my  clothes, 
which  were  quite  wet,  for  I  had  crossed  several  little 
streams. 


CHAPTER  V. 

L08T. QUERLAOTJEN   SAYS   WE  AKE  BEWITCHED. MONKEYS 

AND   PARROTS. A   DESERTED   VILLAGE. STRANGE   8CENK 

BEFORE  AN  IDOL. BRINGING  IN  THE  WOUNDED. AN  IN- 
VOCATION. 

WE  soon  after  left  the  left  bank  of  the  Ovenga  and 
crossed  over  to  the  other  side,  but  not  before  having 
carefully  stored  under  shelter  the  billets  of  ebony-wood 
we  had  taken  so  much  pains  to  cut,  and  which  I  wanted 
to  take  home  with  me. 

The  country  where  we  now  were  was  very  wild,  and 
seemed  entirely  uninhabited.  At  any  rate,  we  did  not 
know  of  any  people  or  village  for  miles  round. 

After  wandering  for  many,  many  days  through  the 
forest,  we  came  suddenly  on  a  path.  Immediately  Quer- 
laouen,  Gambo,  Malaouen,  and  I  held  a  great  council, 
and,  in  order  not  to  be  heard  in  case  some  one  might 
pass,  we  went  back  half  a  mile  farther  from  the  path  in 
the  forest.  Then  we  seated  ourselves,  and  began  to 
speak  in  a  low  voice. 

Querlaouen  spoke  first,  and  said  that  he  did  not  know 
the  country,  and  could  not  tell  what  we  had  better  do, 
except  that  every  one  should  have  his  gun  ready,  and  his 
powder  and  bullets  handy,  his  eyes  wide  open,  and  his 
ears  ready  to  catch  even  the  sound  of  a  falling  leaf  of 
the  footsteps  of  a  gazelle. 


38  L  OST  IN  THE  JUNGLE. 

Gainbo  said  Querlaouen  was  right. 

Then  Malouen  rose  and  said:  "For  days  we  have 
been  in  these  woods,  and  we  have  seen  no  living  being, 
no  path ;  we  have  fed  on  wild  honey,  on  berries,  nuts, 
and  fruits,  and  to-day  we  have  at  last  come  upon  a  path, 
We  know  that  the  path  has  been  made  by  some  people 
or  other.  It  is  true  we  know  that  we  are  in  the  Ashan- 
kolo  Mountains ;  that  the  tribe  of  Bakalai,  living  there, 
are  a  fighting  people ;  but,"  he  said,  "  he  thought  it  was 
better  to  go  back  and  follow  the  path  until  we  came  to 
the  place  where  the  people  lived." 

Querlaouen  got  up  and  said :  "  "We  have  been  lost  in 
this  forest,  and,  though  we  look  all  round  us,  there  is  not 
a  tree  we  recognize ;  the  little  streams  we  pass  we  know 
not.  The  ant-hills  we  have  seen  are  not  the  same  as 
those  in  our  own  country.  The  large  stones  are  not  of 
the  shape  of  the  stones  we  are  accustomed  to  look  upon. 
We  must  have  been  bewitched  before  we  left  the  vil- 


This  suggestion  of  friend  Querlaouen  was  received 
by  a  cheer  from  my  two  other  fellows,  I  being  the  only 
one  that  did  not  believe  in  what  he  said. 

"  For,"  continued  he,  "  this  has  never  happened  to  us 
before.  Yes,  somebody  wants  to  bewitch  us." 

While  he  thus  talked,  his  gentle  and  amiable  face  as- 
sumed a  fierce  expression,  and  the  other  two  said  "  Yes, 
somebody  wants  to  bewitch  us ;  but  he  had  better  look 
out,  for  surely  he  will  die." 

At  last  I  said,  "Let  us  get  back  to  the  path,  and 
follow  it;  perhaps  we  will  meet  some  strange  adven- 
ture." 

Just  as  we  rose  to  move  on  we  heard  the  chatter  of 


PARROTS  AND  MONKEYS  QUARRELING.  39 

monkeys,  and  we  made  for  the  spot  whence  the  sound 
proceeded,  in  the  hope  that  we  might  kill  one  or  two. 
Carefully  we  went  through  the  jungle,  the  prospect  of 
killing  a  monkey  filling  our  hearts  with  joy;  for  we  could 
already,  in  anticipation,  see  a  bright  fire  blazing,  and 
some  part  of  a  monkey  boiling  in  the  little  iron  pot  we 
carried  with  us ;  for  myself,  I  imagined  a  nice  piece 
roasting  on  a  bright  charcoal  tire. 

At  last  we  came  to  the  foot  of  a  very  high  tree,  and, 
raising  our  heads,  we  could  see  several  monkeys.  The 
tree  was  so  tremendously  high  that  the  monkeys  hardly 
appeared  larger  than  squirrels.  How  could  our  small 
shot  reach  the  top  of  that  tree,  which  was  covered  with 
red  berries,  upon  which  the  monkeys  were  quietly  feed- 
ing? Although  we  could  not  reach  them,  they  were  not 
to  be  left  in  undisturbed  possession,  for  a  large  flock  of 
gray  parrots,  with  red  tails,  flew  round  and  round  the 
tree,  screeching  angry  defiance  at  the  monkeys,  who  had 
at  first  been  hidden  by  the  thick  leaves.  The  monkeys 
screamed  back  fierce  menaces,  running  out  on  the  slen- 
der branches  in  vain  endeavor  to  catch  their  feathered 
opponents,  who  would  fly  off,  only  to  return  with  still 
more  angry  cries.  Both  parrots  and  monkeys  being  out 
of  reach  of  our  guns,  we  were  obliged  to  leave  them  to 
settle  the  right  of  possession  to  the  rich  red  fruit. 

How  weary  we  were  when  we  struck  the  path  again! 
and,  having  first  passed  a  field  of  plantain-trees,  we  at 
last  arrived  at  a  village. 

Not  a  living  creature  was  to  be  seen  in  it.  Not  even 
a  goat,  a  fowl,  or  a  dog,  although  we  found  several  firea 
smouldering,  from  which  the  smoke  still  ascended.  We 
proceeded  carefully,  for  we  did  not  know  what  kind  of 


40  LOST  IN  THE  JUNGLE. 

people  inhabited  this  village.  But  I  said,  "  Boys,  let  us 
go  straight  through  the  place." 

So  we  went  on  until  we  came  to  an  ouandja  (a  build- 
ing), where,  in  a  dark  corner  of  a  room,  stood  a  huge 
image  of  an  idol.  Oh !  how  ugly  it  was.  It  represent- 
ed a  woman  with  a  wide-open  mouth,  through  which 
protruded  a.  long,  sharp-pointed  iron  tongue. 

At  the  foot  of  the  idol  we  found  the  skulls  of  all 
kinds  of  animals,  elephants,  leopards,  hyenas,  monkeys, 
and  squirrels — even  of  crocodiles;  and  skins  of  snakes, 
intermingled  with  bunches  of  dry,  queer-looking  leaves, 
the  ashes  of  burnt  bones,  and  the  shells  of  huge  land 
turtles. 

How  horribly  strange  the  big  idol  looked  in  the  cor- 
ner !  It  made  me  shudder. 

The  village  was  deserted,  darkness  was  coming  on, 
and  the  question  now  was,  What  were  we  going  to  do  \ 
Should  we  sleep  in  that  forlorn-looking  village  or  not? 
If  we  staid  there  the  villagers  might  return  when  we 
were  asleep. 

For  some  time  we  regarded  each  other  in  silence; 
then  I  said, "  Boys,  I  think  we  had  better  sleep  in  the 
forest,  away  from  the  path,  but  not  far  from  the  village." 
Gambo,  Malouen,  and  Querlaouen  shouted  with  one 
voice, "  That  is  so.  Let  us  sleep  in  the  forest,  for  this 
village  seems  to  us  full  of  aniemba  (witchcraft)." 

So  we  returned  to  the  jungle,  and  collected  large 
leaves  to  be  used  for  roofing  a  hut  which  was  quickly 
built  with  limbs  from  dead  trees  that  lay  scattered  about, 
yielding  also  a  plentiful  supply  of  wood  for  a  rousing 
fire.  When  every  thing  was  ready,  I  pulled  my  match- 
box from  my  ba£  and  lighted  our  fire. 


A  TERRIFIC  STORM.  41 

Night  came,  and  all  life  seemed  to  go  to  rest.  Now 
and  then  I  could  hear  the  cry  of  some  wild  night  ani- 
mal, which  had  left  his  lair  in  search  of  prey,  and  was 
calling  for  its  mate. 

Before  midnight  we  were  aroused  by  the  muttering 
of  distant  thunder ;  a  tornado  was  coming.  The  trees 
began  to  shake  violently,  the  wind  became  terrific ;  soon 
we  heard  the  branches  of  trees  breaking ;  then  the  trees 
themselves  began  to  fall,  and  with  such  a  crash  as  to 
alarm  us  greatly.  Suddenly,  not  far  from  our  hut,  one 
of  the  big  giant  trees  of  the  forest  came  down  with  a 
fearful  noise,  and  crushing  in  its  mighty  fall  dozens  of 
other  trees,  one  of  them  adjoining  our  camp.  We  got 
up  in  the  twinkle  of  an  eye,  frightened  out  of  our  wits, 
for  we  fancied  the  whole  forest  was  going  to  tumble 
down.  The  monkeys  chattered ;  a  terrific  roar  from  a 
gorilla  resounded  through  the  forest,  mingling  with  the 
howls  of  hyenas.  Snakes,  no  doubt,  were  crawling 
about.  Immediately  after  the  falling  of  the  great  tree 
near  us  we  heard  a  novel  and  tremendous  noise  in  the 
jungle,  coming  from  a  herd  of  elephants  fleeing  in  dis- 
may, and  breaking  down  every  thing  in  their  path. 

"  Goodness  gracious !"  I  shouted,  in  English,  "  what 
does  all  this  mean  ?  Are  we  going  to  be  buried  alive 
in  the  forest?"  The  words  were  scarcely  out  of  my 
mouth  when  there  came  a  blinding  flash  of  lightning, 
instantaneously  followed  by  a  peal  of  thunder  like  a  vol- 
ley from  a  hundred  cannon,  that  seemed  to  shake  the 
very  earth  to  its  foundation ;  and  then  the  rain  fell  in 
torrents,  and  soon  deluged  the  ground.  Happily^  we 
knew  what  we  were  about  when  we  built  our  fires,  for 
we  had  started  them  on  the  top  of  large  logs  of  wood,  so 


42  L  OST  IN  THE  JUNGLE. 

arranged  that  it  would  have  required  more  than  a  foot 
of  water  on  the  ground  before  it  could  reach  the  fires 
and  extinguish  them.  Then  our  leaves  were  so  broad 
and  nicely  arranged  that  they  entirely  protected  us  from 
the  storm,  and  our  shelter  was  perfected  by  the  branch- 
es of  the  great  tree  which,  in  falling,  had  apparently 
threatened  our  destruction. 

The  terrible  hubbub  lasted  some  hours,  the  continued 
lightning  and  thunder  preventing  sleep ;  but  toward  4 
o'clock  in  the  morning  the  storm  ceased,  and  all  again 
became  quiet ;  only  the  dripping  of  the  water  from  the 
leaves  could  be  heard ;  then  we  went  to  sleep,  but  not 
before  having  arranged  our  fires  in  such  a  manner  that 
we  could  go  to  rest  in  comparative  safety. 

In  the  early  morning,  before  dawn,  and  while  we 
were  only  half  awake,  I  thought  I  heard  the  sound  of  a 
human  voice.  Listen  1  We  all  listened  attentively,  and 
Gambo  laid  down  with  his  ears  to  the  ground,  and  then 
he  declared  that  he  distinctly  heard  voices  in  the  direc- 
tion of  the  village.  There  was  no  doubt — the  people 
had  returned. 

"  Let  us  go,"  said  I, "  and  find  out  what  kind  of  neigh- 
bors these  are.  We  have  our  guns  and  plenty  of  am- 
munition, so  we  need  not  fear  them }  but  let  us  act  with 
caution." 

This  was  agreed  to.  So,  leaving  our  camp,  we  quietly 
crept  near  the  village,  until  we  gained  a  spot  from 
whence  we  eould  see  all  that  was  going  on.  Men  with 
lighted  torches  were  entering  the  village,  and  four  of 
them  bore  what,  to  all  appearances,  was  a  dead  body, 
which  they  deposited  before  the  huge  idol,  now  moved 
out  into  the  open  street.  The  gleam  of  the  torches  re< 


SKUiOLNtt   IS   Til*   WOUM>KI>. 


44  LOST  IN  THE  JUNGLE. 

vealed  to  us  that  this  prostrate  body  had  been  pierced 
by  many  spears,  part  of  which  still  remained  in  it. 

Every  man  was  armed  to  the  teeth,  but  not  a  woman 
was  visible.  The  scene  was  strange  and  wild.  Not  a 
word  was  uttered  after  the  body  of  the  wounded  man 
had  been  laid  on  the  ground.  How  strange  and  wild 
the  men  looked  by  the  lurid  glare  of  their  torches! 
Their  bodies  were  painted  and  covered  with  fetiches. 
Just  back  of  the  huts  stood  the  tall  trees,  whose  branches 
moved  to  and  fro  in  the  wind.  I  could  hear  its  whis- 
pers as  it  passed  through  the  foliage  of  the  trees.  The 
stars  were  shining  beautifully,  and  a  few  fleecy  white 
clouds  were  floating  above  our  heads.  I  wish  you  could 
have  seen  us  as  we  lay  flat  on  the  ground.  Our  eyes 
must  have  been  bright  indeed  as  we  looked  on  the  wild 
scene ;  and  this  I  know,  that  our  hearts  were  beating 
strongly  as  we  lay  close  together.  If,  perchance,  one  of 
us  had  been  seized  with  a  fit  of  sneezing,  or  a  fit  of 
coughing,  it  might  have  been  the  end  of  us,  for  the  sav- 
ages would  have  been  alarmed,  and,  believing  us  to  be 
enemies,  would  at  once  have  attacked  us ;  so  we  had 
started  on  a  rather  risky  business.  I  had  never  thought 
of  it  before ;  it  was  always  so  with  me  at  that  time.  I 
thought  of  the  danger  after  I  was  in  it. 

Soon  another  batch  of  men  made  their  appearance, 
carrying  another  wounded  man,  who  appeared  almost 
dead,  and  they  laid  him  by  the  side  of  the  other,  and 
then  the  women  came  in,  carrying  their  babies  and  lead- 
ing their  children. 

There  stood  the  huge  idol  looking  grimly  at  the  scene. 
How  ugly  it  seemed,  with  its  copper  eyes  and  wide-open 
mouth,  which  showed  two  rows  of  sharp-pointed  teeth  J 


INVOKING  MBUITI.  45 

In  one  of  its  hands  it  held  a  sharp-pointed  knife,  and  in 
the  other  it  held  a  bearded  spear.  It  had  a  necklace  of 
leopards'  teeth,  and  its  hideous  head  was  decorated  with 
birds'  feathers.  One  side  of  its  face  was  painted  yellow, 
the  other  white ;  the  forehead  was  painted  red,  and  a 
black  stripe  did  duty  for  eyebrows.  I  could  not  make 
out  whether  it  represented  a  male  or  a  female. 

By  its  side  stood  the  people,  as  silent  as  the  idol  itself. 

At  last  a  man  came  in  front  of  the  idol,  and  at  once, 
by  the  language  he  spoke  in,  we  knew  him  to  be  a  Ba- 
kalai. 

"  Mbuiti,"  he  said,  addressing  the  idol, "  we  have  been 
t*>  the  war,  and  now  we  have  returned.  There  lie  before 
thee  two  of  our  number;  look  at  them.  You  see  the 
spear -wounds  that  have  gone  into  their  bodies.  They 
can  not  talk.  When  they  were  strong  they  went  to  the 
jungle  and  shot  game,  and  when  they  had  killed  it  they 
always  brought  some  to  give  thee ;  many  times  they  have 
brought  to  thee  antelopes,  wild  boars,  and  other  wild 
beasts.  They  have  brought  thee  sugar-cane,  ground-nuts, 
plantains,  and  bananas ;  they  have  given  thee  palm  wine 
to  drink.  Oh,  Mbuiti,  do  thou  heal  them !"  And  all  the 
people  shouted  "  Do  make  them  well."  How  queer  their 
voices  resounded  in  the  forest ! 

Suddenly  all  the  torches  were  extinguished,  and  the 
village  was  again  in  darkness.  Not  a  voice  was  heard ; 
complete  silence  followed.  They  were  evidently  afraid 
of  an  attack,  and  retired  quietly  to  their  huts. 

I  was  very  glad  that  we  had  managed  to  see  all  this 
without  having  been  discovered;  we  did  not  think  it 
safe,  however,  to  move  away  before  giving  the  villagers 
time  to  fall  asleep,  and  then  we  realized  new  causes  for 


46  LOST  IN  THE  JUNGLE. 

apprehension.  It  was  not  a  very  pleasant  or  safe  thing 
to  be  out  in  this  j  angle  in  the  early  morning  before  it  was 
light.  We  might  tread  on  a  snake,  or  lay  hold  of  one 
folded  among  the  lower  branches  of  the  trees  on  which 
we  laid  our  hands;  or  a  wandering  leopard  might  be 
prowling  round ;  and,  as  there  certainly  were  gorillas  in 
the  neighborhood,  we  might  come  on  a  tree  which  a  fe- 
male gorilla  with  a  baby  had  climbed  into  for  the  night, 
and  then  we  should  have  the  old  fellow  upon  us  showing 
fight.  I  confess  I  did  not  care  to  fight  gorillas  in  the 
dark.  Again,  a  party  of  Bashikouay  might  be  encoun- 
tered, when  nothing  would  be  left  for  us  but  flight. 

After  our  breakfast  of  nuts  and  berries,  the  question 
naturally  arose.  Shall  we  go  back  to  the  strange  village  ? 
"  Certainly  not,"  at  once  said  Querlaouen ;  "  we  do  not 
know  what  kind  of  Bakalai  they  are." 

When  my  turn  to  speak  came,  I  said, "  Boys,  why  not 
go  and  learn  from  these  people  the  causes  which  led  to 
their  affray,  and  at  the  same  time  learn  exactly  in  what 
part  of  the  forest  we  are  ?" 

For  about  a  minute  we  were  all  silent.  My  three  sav- 
ages were  thinking  about  my  proposal ;  then  Malaouen 
said,  "  Chaillie,  we  had  better  not  go.  Who  knows  ?  it 
may  be  that  the  wounded  men  we  saw  the  people  bring- 
ing into  the  village  were  found  speared  in  the  path,  and, 
if  so,  we  might  be  suspected  of  being  the  men  who 
speared  them.  Then,"  said  he,  "what  a  palaver  we 
should  get  in!  and  there  would  be  no  other  way  for  us 
to  get  out  of  our  troubles  except  by  fighting.  You  know 
that  the  Bakalai  here  fight  well."  We  all  gave  our  as- 
sent to  Malaouen's  wise  talk,  for  I  must  tell  you,  boys, 
my  three  men  had  good  common  sense,  and  many  a  time 


PREPARING  TO  HUNT.  47 

have  I  listened  to  their  counsels.  "  Besides,  we  have  a 
good  deal  of  hunting  to  do,"  said  Malaouen,  "  and  we 
had  better  attend  to  it." 

"  Yes,"  we  all  said,  with  one  voice.  "  Let  us  attend  to 
our  hunting.  Let  us  have  a  jolly  good  time  in  the  woods, 
and  kill  as  many  gorillas,  elephants,  leopards,  antelopes, 
wild  boars,  and  other  wild  beasts  as  we  can."  It  being 
settled  we  should  not  go  back  to  the  village,  we  all  got 
up,  looked  at  our  guns  carefully,  and  plunged  into  the 
woods  once  more. 

If  you  could  have  seen  us,  you  would  have  said,  What 
wild  kind  of  chaps  these  four  fellows  are !  Indeed  we 
did  look  wild.  We  did  not  mind  it ;  our  hearts  were 
bound  together,  we  were  such  great  friends.  I  am  sure 
many  of  you  who  read  these  pages  would  have  been  oui 
friends  also,  if  you  had  been  there. 


CHAPTEE  VI. 

A  WHITE  GORILLA. MEETING  TWO  GORILLAS. THE  FEMALE 

RUNS   AWAY. THE    MAN    GORILLA    SHOWS   FIGHT. HE   18 

TTTT.T.Tr.r>. HIS  IMMENSE  HANDS  AND  FEET. — STRANGE  STO- 
RY  OF   A   LEOPARD   AND   A   TURTLE. 

SOME  time  has  elapsed  since  that  strange  night-scene 
I  have  described  to  you  in  the  preceding  chapter.  We 
had  gone,  as  you  are  aware,  into  the  woods  hunting  for 
wild  game.  All  I  can  say  is,  that  I  wish  some  of  you 
had  been  with  us.  We  had  a  glorious  time !  lots  of  fun, 
and  cleared  that  part  of  the  forest  of  the  few  wild  beasts 
that  were  in  it :  one  elephant,  one  gorilla,  three  ante- 
lopes, two  wild  boars  were  killed,  besides  smaller  game, 
and  some  queer-looking  birds.  Once  or  twice  we  had 
pretty  narrow  escapes. 

I  wish  you  had  been  with  us  to  enjoy  the  thunder  and 
lightning.  It  would  have  given  you  an  idea  of  the  noise 
the  thunder  can  make,  and  the  brightness  a  flash  of 
lightning  can  attain ;  how  heavy  the  rain  can  fall ;  and 
a  tornado  would  have  shown  you  how  strong  the  wind 
can  blow.  For  the  thunder  we  hear  and  the  rains  that 
fall  at  home  can  not  give  us  any  conception  of  what 
takes  place  in  the  mountainous  and  woody  regions  of 
Equatorial  Africa.  After  all,  there  is  some  enjoyment 
in  being  "  lost  in  the  jungle"  in  the  country  in  which  I 
have  taken  you  to  travel  with  me. 


A  WHITE  GORILLA.  49 

Once  more  I  am  in  sight  of  the  Ovenga.  For  some 
time  the  people  inhabiting  the  banks  of  that  river  had 
whispered  among  themselves  that  a  white  gorilla  had 
been  seen.  At  first  the  story  of  a  white  gorilla  was  be- 
lieved in  by  only  a  few,  but  at  last  the  white  gorilla's 
appearance  was  the  talk  of  every  body.  Gambo,  Quer- 
laouen,  and  Malaouen  were  firm  believers  in  it. 

Both  men  and  women  would  come  back  to  their  vil- 
lages and  assure  the  people  that  they  had  had  a  glimpse 
of  the  creature.  He  looked  so  old  he  could  hardly  walk. 
His  hair  was  perfectly  white,  and  he  was  terribly  wrink- 
led. He  must  have  lived  forever  in  the  forest,  and  was, 
no  doubt,  the  great-grandfather  of  hundreds  of  gorillas. 
His  wife  must  have  died  long  ago.  He  was  a  monster 
in  size.  Then  old  men  said  they  remembered,  when 
they  were  boys,  that  -a  man  disappeared  from  the  village ; 
perhaps  he  had  been  caught  by  that  very  gorilla. 

"  How  is  it,"  said  I  to  the  people,  "  that  I  have  never 
seen  a  white  gorilla  ?"  They  would  answer, "  There  are 
white-headed  men,  so  there  are  white-haired  gorillas. 
A  white  gorilla  is  not  often  to  be  seen,  for  when  he  be- 
comes so  old  that  he  turns  white,  he  lives  quite  alone, 
and  in  a  part  of  the  forest  where  people  can  not  go,  for 
the  jungle  is  too  thick  there.  He  seems  to  be  too  know- 
ing, and  keeps  out  of  the  way  of  the  hunting-path." 
"  Of  course,"  they  would  add, "  its  skin  remains  black." 

Day  after  day  we  went  through  the  forest  to  see  if  we 
could  get  a  glimpse  of  the  white  gorilla.  We  had  been 
a  whole  week  in  quest  of  the  white  gorilla,  never  camp 
ing  twice  in  the  same  spot ;  often  Malaouen  and  Quer- 
laouen  declared  that  they  would  go  and  hunt  alone, 
while  Gambo  and  I,  with  a  boy  we  had  with  us,  should 


SO  LOST  IN  THE  JUNGLE. 

choose  our  own  course,  always  appointing  a  certain  place 
near  a  hunting-path  where  we  could  all  meet  at  sunset. 

On  the  last  day  of  the  week,  we  had  been  on  the  hunt 
for  several  hours,  when  we  came  upon  tolerably  fresh 
tracks  of  a  gorilla;  judging  by  the  immense  footprints 
he  had  left  on  the  ground,  he  must  be  a  monster — a  tre- 
mendous big  fellow.  Was  he  a  white  gorilla  or  not? 
These  tracks  we  followed  cautiously,  and  at  last,  in  a 
densely -wooded  and  quite  dark  ravine,  we  came  sudden 
ly  upon  two  gorillas,  a  male  and  a  female.  The  old  man 
gorilla  was  by  the  side  of  his  wife,  fondly  regarding  her. 
They  had  no  baby.  How  dark  and  horrid  their  intense- 
ly black  faces  appeared  I  I  watched  them  for  a  few  min- 
tites,  for,  thanks  to  the  dense  jungle  in  which  we  were 
concealed,  I  was  not  perceived  at  once.  But,  on  a  sud- 
den, the  female  uttered  a  cry  of  alarm,  and  ran  off  be- 
fore we  could  get  a  shot  at  her,  being  lost  to  sight  in  a 
moment.  We  were  not  in  a  hurry  to  fire  at  her.  Of 
•course  the  male  must  be  killed  first ;  it  is  ten  times  safer 
to  get  him  out  of  the  way. 

The  male  had  no  idea  of  running  off.  As  soon  as  the 
female  disappeared,  he  gazed  all  round  with  his  savage- 
looking  eyes.  He  then  rose  slowly  from  his  haunches, 
and  at  once  faced  us,  uttering  a  roar  of  rage  at  our  evi- 
dently untimely  intrusion,  coming  as  we  had  to  disturb 
him  and  frighten  his  wife,  when  they  were  quietly  seat- 
ed side  by  side.  Gambo  and  I  were  accompanied  by  the 
boy,  who  carried  our  provisions  and  an  extra  gun,  a 
double-barrel  smooth  bore.  The  boy  fell  to  the  rear  of 
•us,  and  we  stood  side  by  side  and  awaited  the  advance 
of  the  hideous  monster.  In  the  dim  half-light  of  the 
ravine^  his  features  working  with  rage ;  his  gloomy, 


THE  GORILLA  ATTACKS.  51 

treacherous,  mischievous  gray  eyes ;  his  rapidly-agitated 
and  frightful,  satyr-like  face,  had  a  horrid  look,  enough 
to  make  one  fancy  him  really  a  spirit  of  the  damned,  a 
very  devil.  How  his  hair  moved  up  and  down  on  the 
top  of  his  head. 

He  advanced  upon  us  by  starts,  as  it  is  their  fashion — 
as  I  have  told  you  in  my  other  books — pausing  to  beat 
his  fists  upon  his  vast  breast,  which  gave  out  a  dull,  hol- 
low sound,  like  some  great  base-drum  with  a  skin  of  ox- 
hide. Then,  showing  his  enormous  teeth  at  the  same 
time,  he  made  the  forest  ring  with  his  short,  tremendous, 
powerful  bark,  which  he  followed  by  a  roar,  the  refrain 
of  which  is  singularly  like  the  loud  muttering  of  thun- 
der. The  earth  really  shook  under  our  feet — the  noise 
was  frightful.  I  have  heard  lions'  roars,  but  certainly 
the  lion's  roar  can  not  be  compared  with  that  of  the  go- 
rilla. 

We  stood  our  ground  for  at  least  three  long  minutes 
— -at  least  it  seemed  so  to  me — the  guns  in  our  hands, 
before  the  great  beast  was  near  enough  for  a  safe  shot. 
During  this  time  I  could  not  help  thinking  that  I  had 
heard  that  a  man  had  been  killed  only  a  few  days  be- 
fore ;  and,  as  I  looked  at  the  gorilla  in  front  of  me,  1 
thought  that  if  I  missed  the  beast,  I  would  be  killed 
also.  So  I  said  to  myself,  "  Be  careful,  friend  Paul,  for 
if  you  miss  the  fellow,  he  won't  miss  you."  I  realized 
the  horror  of  a  poor  fellow  when,  with  empty  gun,  he 
stands  before  his  remorseless  enemy,  who,  not  with  a 
sudden  spring  like  the  leopard,  but  with  a  slow,  vindic- 
tive look,  comes  to  put  him  to  death. 

At  last  he  stood  before  us  at  a  distance  of  six  yards. 
Once  more  he  paused,  and  Gambo  and  I  raised  our  guns 


52  L  OST  IN  THE  JUNGLE. 

as  he  again  began  to  roar  and  beat  his  chest,  and  just  aa 
he  took  another  step  forward,  we  fired,  and  down  he 
tumbled,  almost  at  our  feet,  upon  his  face — dead.  But 
he  was  not  the  white  gorilla. 

How  glad  I  was.  I  saw  at  once  that  we  had  killed 
the  very  animal  I  wanted.  His  height  was  five  feet  nine 
inches,  measured  to  the  tip  of  the  toes.  His  arms  spread 
nine  feet.  His  chest  had  a  circumference  of  sixty-two 
inches.  His  arms  were  of  most  prodigious  muscular 
strength.  His  hands,  those  terrible,  claw-like  weapons, 
almost  like  a  man's,  having  the  same  shaped  nails,  and 
with  one  blow  of  which  he  can  tear  out  tbe  bowels  of  a 
man  and  break  his  ribs  or  arms,  were  of  immense  size 
I  could  understand  how  terrible  a  blow  could  be  struck 
with  such  a  hand,  moved  by  such  an  arm,  all  swollen 
into  great  bunches  of  muscular  fibres. 

When  I  took  hold  of  his  hands,  I  shall  not  say  in 
mine,  for  his  were  so  large  that  my  hands  looked  like 
those  of  a  baby  by  the  side  of  his.  How  cold  his  hands 
were,  how  callous,  how  thick  and  black  the  nails,  as 
black  as  his  face  and  skin.  What  a  huge  foot  he  pos- 
sessed !  Where  is  the  giant  that  could  show  such  pro- 
digious feet  ? 

We  disemboweled  the  monster  on  the  spot.  Malouen 
and  Querlaouen,  who  had  heard  our  guns,  joined  us,  and 
we  built  a  camp  close  by.  My  three  fellows  were  very 
fond  of  gorilla's  meat,  and  they  had  a  great  treat.  The 
brain  was  carefully  saved  by  them. 

In  the  evening  Gambo  told  us  some  stories,  one  of 
which,  the  last  one,  I  will  relate  to  you.  It  relates  to 
the  leopard,  and  goes  to  prove  that  this  ferocious  anima] 
has  no  friend. 


THE  LEOPARD  AND  THE  TURTLE.         53 
THE  LEGEND  OF  CONIAMBl£ 

Uoniambie'  was  a  king,  who  made  an  orambo  (a  trap) 
in  which  a  ncheri  (gazelle)  was  caught.  After  it  had 
been  caught,  it  cried  and  called  for  its  companion ;  then 
a  ngivo  (another  gazelle)  was  caught.  The  ngivo  cried, 
and  a  wild  boar  came  and  was  caught ;  then  an  ante- 
lope came,  and  was  caught;  afterward  a  bongo  and  a 
buffalo  came,  and  all  were  caught,  and  all  of  them  died 
in  the  trap.  At  that  time  Coniambie  was  in  the  moun- 
tains. A  leopard  was  caught  also,  but  did  not  die.  Then 
came  a  turtle,  who  released  the  leopard  from  the  trap. 
Then  the  leopard  wanted  to  kill  the  turtle  which  had 
saved  him.  The  leopard  got  hold  of  the  turtle  to  kill  it, 
but  the  turtle,  seeing  this,  drew  her  head,  legs,  and  tail 
inside  her  shell,  but  not  before  she  had  managed  to  get 
into  the  hollow  of  an  old  tree,  with  the  leopard  after  her 
in  the  hollow,  and  he  could  not  get  away.  The  tree  is 
called  ogana,  and  bears  a  berry  on  which  monkeys  are 
fond  of  feeding.  So  there  came  to  the  tree  at  this  time, 
for  the  purpose  of  feeding,  a  miengai,  or  white-mustach- 
ed'  monkey ;  a  ndova,  the  white-nosed  monkey ;  a  nkago, 
the  red-headed  monkey ;  an  oganagana,  a  blackish  mon- 
key ;  a  mondi,  which  has  very  long  black  hair ;  a  nchegai 
and  a  pondi,  who  all  came  to  eat  the  berries.  When 
the  leopard  heard  the  noise  of  the  monkeys,  he  shouted, 
"Monkeys,  come  and  release  me!"  Then  they  came 
and  helped  the  leopard  out  of  the  hole.  But  the  leop- 
ard, instead  of  being  grateful,  fought  with  the  monkeys, 
and  ate  the  nkago  and  the  ndova.  Then  the  monkey 
called  a  mpondi  said, "  Mai  !  mai  !  That  is  so ;  that  is 
so !  You  leopards  are  noted  rogues.  The  leopard  and 
the  goat  do  not  live  together  at  the  same  place.  We 


54  LOST  IiV  THE  JUNGLE. 

came  to  help  you,  and,  as  soon  as  you  were  helped,  you 
began  to  kill  us.     Mai !  mai  !  you  are  a  rogue." 

MORAL. 

The  reason  why  the  leopard  wanders  solitary  and  alono 
is  on  account  of  his  roguery;  he  is  not  to  be  trusted 
/There  are  men  who  can  not  be  trusted  any  more  thar 
the  leopard. 

We  shouted  with  one  voice,  "  That  is  so ;  there  are 
men  who  can  not  be  any  more  trusted  than  the  leopard, 
for  they  are  so  treacherous  and  deceitful." 

Then  we  canvassed  the  bad  qualities  of  the  leopard, 
and  concluded  that  he  had  not  a  single  friend  in  the 
forest. 

After  this  story  was  concluded  we  gave  another  look 
to  our  fires,  and  then  went  to  sleep.  This  was  the  way, 
Young  Folks,  we  spent  many  of  our  evenings  when  we. 
were  not  too  tired  traveling  in  the  great  forest. 


CHAPTER  VII. 


RETURN  TO  THE  OVENGA  RIVER. — THE  MONKEYS  AND 

FRIENDS  THE  BIRDS. THEY  LIVE  TOGETHER. WATCH  BY 

MOONLIGHT  FOR  GAME. — KILL  AN   OSHENGUI. 

AFTER  wandering  through  the  forest  for  many  days,, 
we  reached  once  more  the  banks  of  the  River  Rembo 
Ovenga,  the  waters  of  which  had  fallen  twelve  or  fifteen 
feet,  for  we  are  in  the  dry  season.  The  numerous  aquatic 
birds  and  waders  which  come  with  the  dry  weather  give 
the  river  a  lively,  pleasant  appearance.  The  white  sand 
which  lines  many  parts  of  the  shore  is  beautiful.  The 
mornings  are  cool,  and  sometimes  foggy.  The  dark  green, 
of  the  well-wooded  banks  had  something  grand  about  it. 
1,  poor  and  lonely  traveler,  had  a  charming  scene  before 
me.  The  stream  is  still  yellow,  but  far  less  so  than  in 
the  rainy  season.  Then  the  rains  were  driving  down  a 
turbulent  tide  laden  with  mud  washed  down  from  the 
mountains  and  valleys ;  now  the  waters  roll  on  placidly, 
as  though  all  was  peace  and  civilization  on  their  borders. 

New  birds  had  come.  The  otters  were  plentiful,  and 
fed  on  the  fish  that  were  thick  in  the  stream,, 

In  that  great  jungle  beasts  had  been  scarce  for  some 
time,  and  we  had  a  hard  time  to  get  food. 

But  what  a  glorious  time  we  had  by  ourselves  in  that 
forest  I  Oh  how  I  enjoyed  rambling  in  that  jungle, 


56  LOST  IN  THE  JUNGLE. 

though  toiling  hard,  and  often  hungry  and  sick !  How 
glad  I  always  was  when  I  returned  to  the  banks  of  the 
Rembo  Ovenga !  I  loved  that  river,  for  I  knew  that  its 
waters,  as  they  glided  down,  would  disappear  in  that  very 
ocean  whose  waves  bathed  the  shores  of  both  the  Old 
and  the  New  World.  At  times,  when  seated  on  its  banks, 
I  could  not  help  it,  I  would  think  of  friends  absent,  but 
dear  to  me.  I  remembered  those  I  loved — I  remembered 
the  boys  and  girls  who  wrere  slowly  but  surely  growing 
men  and  women,  but  who  were  still  young  folks  in  my 
memory,  though  years  wrere  flying  fast.  The  lad  of  the 
jungle  had  become  a  man  also ;  his  mustache  had  made 
its  appearance,  and  had  grown  a  good  deal ;  his  face  had 
become  older — probably  he  found  it  so  when  perchance 
he  gazed  in  the  looking-glass  he  carried  with  him.  Dis- 
ease, anxiety,  sleepless  nights,  and  traveling  under  the 
burning  sun  had  begun  to  do  their  work ;  but,  in  despite 
of  all,  my  heart  was  still  young,  and  I  loved  more  than 
ever  those  friends  I  had  left  behind. 

I  had  come  back  to  Obindji  to  see  if  I  could  get  some 
plantains  or  smoked  cassada,  and  then  intended  to  return 
to  the  woods  in  search  of  new  animals  and  new  insects. 
King  Obindji  welcomed  me,  and  was  delighted  to  see 
Malaouen,  Querlaouen,  and  Gambo  once  more,  and  his 
wives  got  food  ready  for  us.  Then  we  started  again  for 
the  forest.  I  took  with  me  lots  of  small  shot  of  different 
sizes  for  birds,  and  once  more  we  would  get  lost  in  the 
jungle,  but  from  time  to  time  we  would  come  back  to 
the  uninhabited  banks  of  the  wild  Ovenga  to  look  at  our 
river. 

One  day,  wandering  in  the  forest,  I  spied  a  queer-look- 
ing  bird  I  had  not  seen  before,  and  I  immediately  got 


BIRDS  AND  MONKEYS  PL  A  YING.  5  7 

ready  to  chase  it.     This  bird  was  called  by  the  natives 
the  monkey-bird  (Buceros  albocrystatus). 

As  I  was  looking  at  that  queer  bird  I  spied  a  monkey, 
two  monkeys,  three  monkeys,  four,  five,  six,  ten  monkeys. 
These  monkeys  looked  very  small,  and  were  called  oshen- 
gui  by  the  natives.  Then  I  saw  more  of  the  queer  birds, 


lA'lOHlXi   IHBUS   ANI>   MONKEYS. 


and  lo !  1  perceived  they  were  all  playing  with  these  lit- 
tle monkeys — yes,  playing  with  these  oshenguis. 

Strange  indeed  they  looked,  with  their  long-feathered 
tail,  queer-looking  body,  and  strange  big  beak.  They 
followed  those  little  monkeys  as  they  leaped  from  branclr 


58  LOST  IN  THE  JUNGLE. 

to  branch ;  sometimes  I  thought  they  would  rest  on  the 
backs  of  the  monkeys,  but  no,  they  would  perch  close  to 
them,  and  then  the  monkey  and  the  bird  would  look  at 
each  other.  I  never  heard  a  note  from  the  birds — they 
were  as  silent  as  the  trees  themselves.  The  oshengui 
would  look  at  them  and  utter  a  kind  of  kee,  kee,  kee,  and 
then  they  would  move  on,  and  the  birds  would  follow. 

Day  after  day  I  would  meet  those  birds,  and  then  I 
would  look  for  the  monkeys,  and  was  sure  to  see  them. 
No  wonder  they  are  called  the  monkey-bird.  But  then 
I  never  saw  them  follow  any  monkeys  but  the  oshengui. 
I  wondered  why  they  followed  them ;  I  could  not  imag- 
ine the  reason.  I  never  saw  them  resting  on  the  birds, 
but  I  noticed  that  these  birds  were  fond  of  the  fruits  and 
berries  the  oshneguis  feed  upon.  Then  the  question  arose, 
Did  the  birds  follow  the  monkeys,  or  the  monkeys  the 
birds  ?  I  came  to  the  conclusion  that  the  birds  followed 
the  monkeys,  whom  they  could  hear  telling  them,  as  it 
were,  where  they  could  get  food  without  searching  for  it. 

I  tried  to  discover  where  these  birds  made  their  nests, 
but  never  found  one  in  the  country  of  the  Kembo. 

Now  let  us  come  to  their  companions,  the  monkeys. 
How  small  are  these  oshenguis !  They  are  the  smallest 
monkeys  of  that  part  of  Africa.  Their  color  was  of  a 
yellowish  tinge ;  they  had  long,  but  not  prehensile  tails, 
for  the  monkeys  with  prehensile  tails  are  found  in 
America.  It  is  a  frolicsome  and  innocent  little  animal. 
Strange  to  say,  the  common  people,  who  eat  all  kinds  of 
monkeys,  would  not  eat  that  one — why,  I  could  not  tell. 
His  cry  is  very  plaintive  and  sad,  and  is  not  heard  far  off, 
like  the  cry  of  other  monkeys.  As  sure  as  you  live,  when 
you  meet  them  hopping  about  the  branches  overhead, 


no  W  THE  OSHENG  UI  SLEEPS.  5  g 

you  may  say  that  water  is  not  far  off.  They  always  sleep 
on  trees  whose  branches  overhang  a  water-course.  They 
all  sleep  on  the  same  tree.  How  queer  they  look,  with 
their  tails  hanging  down !  To  see  the  mother  carrying1 
her  young,  and  the  young  clinging  to  the  mother,  is  a 
sight  worth  seeing,  for  these  baby  monkeys  do  not  look 
bigger  than  rats,  and,  when  quite  young,  not  much  big- 
ger than  large  mice.  Strange  to  say,  though  very  young 
monkeys  can  not  walk,  from  the  very  day  they  are  born 
they  seem  to  be  able  to  cling  with  their  hands  to  the 
breast  of  their  mother;  for  young  monkeys  must  help 
themselves,  or  they  would  drop  to  the  ground. 

So  we  may  say  that  the  oshengui  and  the  monkey-bird 
are  almost  inseparable  friends,  and  we  must  let  them 
wander  in  the  great  jungle  in  search  of  their  food  while 
we  look  for  other  birds  and  animals. 

There  \vere  also  in  the  forest  several  varieties  of  tiger- 
cat,  the  name  of  which  is  very  similar  to  that  of  the.  lit- 
tle monkeys,  the  oshengui,  I  have  just  spoken  to  you 
about. 

There  are  several  species  of  these  cats,  but  I  am  going 
to  speak  to  you  of  the  Genetta,  Fieldiana.  You  will 
say,  "  What  a  queer  name  !"  Not  at  all.  I  have  told  you 
that  I  often  remembered  him  in  Africa,  and  I  named 
this  animal  after  my  friend,  Mr.  Cyrus  W.  Field.  I  de- 
scribed this  animal  in  the  proceedings  of  the  Boston  Nat 
ural  History  Society. 

These  oshenguis  are  perfect  little  plagues.  They  are 
very  sly ;  they  never  sleep  at  night ;  they  are  then  wan- 
dering in  search  of  prey — of  something  to  kill.  They  see 
better  at  night  than  in  broad  daylight.  During  the  da;y 
they  hide  in  some  hollow  tree,  or  in  the  midst  of  a  clus- 


60  L  OST  IN  THE  JUNGLE. 

ter  of  thick,  dead  branches,  which  are  so  close  together 
that  you  can  not  see  what  is  inside.  They  will  crawl  in 
there  and  remain  till  night  comes.  The  darker  the  night, 
the  bolder  their  deeds ;  for  on  a  dark  night  they  will 
come  into  the  villages,  knowing  that  every  body  is  gener- 
ally asleep  between  two  or  three  o'clock  in  the  morning, 
manage  to  get  into  some  poultry-house — I  do  not  know 
how — and  then  pounce  upon  the  poor  chickens  and  stran- 
gle them.  They  will  destroy  the  whole  lot  of  them,  suck 
their  blood,  and  if  they  can,  they  will  drag  one  away.  If 
you  have  a  parrot  they  will  try  to  get  at  it.  Sometimes 
they  will  climb  trees  and  get  their  prey  among  the  birds. 
The  green  wild  pigeons,  the  partridges,  the  wild  ducks 
and  cranes,  sleeping  on  the  banks  of  rivers,  are  good  food 
for  them,  for  they  are  very  fond  of  the  feathered  tribe. 

One  morning,  on  the  banks  of  a  creek  not  far  from 
our  camp,  I  saw  the  footprints  of  an  oshengui  on  the 
sands.  It  had  been  there,  I  could  see,  the  night  before. 

I  had  two  or  three  chickens,  which  I  kept  carefully. 
I  wanted  to  see  if  I  could  not  get  a  few  eggs,  for  I  had 
not  for  a  long  time  tasted  any,  and  I  wondered  if  the 
oshengui  would  come  and  eat  my  chickens.  Poor  chick- 
ens !  they  have  to  look  sharp  in  that  country,  for  they 
have  many  enemies  among  the  snakes  and  the  species  of 
wild-cats  of  the  forest,  besides  the  hawks. 

The  moon  was  declining,  and  rose  about  one  o'clock 
in  the  morning,  and  shone  just  bright  enough  to  enable 
me  to  see.  So,  towards  one  o'clock,  I  took  one  of  my 
chickens  and  tied  it  to  a  stick  on  the  bank  of  the  little 
creek  near  our  camp,  and  hid  myself,  not  far  off,  on  the 
edge  of  the  forest.  I  took  with  me  two  guns,  one  loaded 
with  bullets  in  case  I  should  meet  larger  game  I  did  not 


THE  OSHENGUI  COMES  AS  A  THIEF.  61 

bargain  for,  and  the  other  loaded  with  shot,  which  I  in- 
tended for  the  oshengui,  if  it  came. 

The  light  from  the  moon  was  dim,  as  I  have  said,  but 
just  enough  for  me  to  see.  I  hoped  that  the  oshengui 
would  come  from  the  direction  opposite  to  where  I  was. 
The  poor  fowl  began  to  cackle,  frightened  at  being  in  a 
strange  place,  and  no  doubt  having  an  instinctive  knowl- 
edge of  insecurity.  It  cackled  and  cackled  from  time 
to  time,  and  then  would  try  to  go  to  sleep,  but  could  not  j 
it  seemed  to  comprehend  impending  danger. 

At  last  I  saw  something  coming  along  the  shore  whose 
eyes  were  like  two  bright  charcoal  fires.  It  seemed  so 
close  to  the  ground  that,  if  it  had  not  been  for  the  two 
fiery  eyes,  I  should  have  thought  it  was  a  big  snake.  The 
legs  were  so  short  and  so  bent  that  the  body  touched  the 
ground.  I  raised  my  gun  very  carefully,  and  waited.  At 
last  I  could  see  the  long  muzzle  of  the  oshengui.  How 
sly  the  animal  was !  He  came  on  like  a  thief,  and  so 
carefully  looking  right  and  left  as  he  advanced,  but  nev- 
er losing  sight  of  the  fowl.  The  nearer  he  came,  the 
flatter  his  body  lay  on  the  ground,  until  it  arrived  near 
the  fowl ;  then  there  was  a  pause ;  then  a  sudden  spring 
upon  the  fowl — there  was  just  one  cry;  the  fowl  was  dead. 
Having  aimed  carefully,  I  pulled  the  trigger — bang !  and 
down  rolled  the  oshengui  on  his  back,  with  the  fowl  in 
his  jaws.  A  tremendous  shout  rose  from  our  camp. 
Gambo,  Querlaouen,  and  Malaouen  came  rushing  to- 
ward me,  and  they  all  cried, "  You  will  kill  no  more  of 
our  fowls  now,  Oshengui !"  With  my  prize  hung  above 
my  head,  I  went  to  sleep,  and  the  next  day  we  made 
preparations  to  go  up  the  river. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

WE  ARE  IN  A  CANOE. OUTFIT  FOR  HUNTING. — SEE  A  BEAU- 
TIFUL   ANTELOPE. KILL   IT. IT   IS  A    NEW    SPECIES. — • 

ETVEK   AND   FOREST   SWALLOWS. 

WE  are  now  ascending  the  River  Rembo  Ovenga.  We 
are  in  a  little  canoe,  that  can  be  easily  hidden  in  the  jun- 
gle, and  as  we  ascend  the  n\er  we  meet  strange  sights, 
and  I  can  assure  you  we  enjoy  our  journey.  It  is  true 
that  it  is  hot,  but  we  can  not  help  it.  In  the  bow  of  the 
canoe  is  a  little  stick,  to  which  is  attached  a  nice  little 
flag  showing  the  Stars  and  Stripes.  Querlaouen  is  at 
the  stern,  and  using  his  paddle  as  a  rudder;  Malaomn 
is  at  the  head,  where  he  keeps  a  sharp  look-out  for  wild 
beasts.  I  need  not  say  that  his  gun  is  close  at  hand. 

Gambo  and  I  have  our  paddles,  and  we  dip  them  gen- 
tly— so  gently  that,  if  you  had  been  on  the  banks  of  the 
river  at  night,  you  could  not  have  heard  us.  Near  the 
prow  is  a  smooth-bore  gun,  loaded  with  shot,  in  case  we 
should  see  some  big  crane  or  wild  ducks.  By  my  side 
lies  a  double-barreled  breech-loader,  loaded  with  very 
large  steel-pointed  bullets,  in  case  of  need,  for  elephants, 
crocodiles,  leopards,  wild  buffaloes,  and  gorillas ;  or,  should 
we  be  attacked  by  the  savages  inhabiting  the  country,  they 
were  to  be  used  against  them.  By  the  side  of  that  gun 
was  a  heavy  war-axe.  Malaouen  had  his  gun  by  him ; 
Gambo  likewise.  Our  formidable  double-barreled  breech- 


OUE  OUTFIT  WAS  LIGHT.  63 

loader,  with  steel-pointed  bullets,  would  smash,  I  was  sure, 
an  elephant's  ribs,  if  the  opportunity  occurred.  We  had 
an  extra  gun,  in  case  one  should  get  out  of  order.  We 
had  also  two  cutlasses.  We  thought  we  would  dispense 
with  a  cooking-pot,  for  all  our  food  was  to  be  roasted  on 
charcoal — that  is  to  say,  if  we  were  able  to  kill  any 
game.  In  a  little  box  made  of  tin  I  had  matches,  a  few 
flints,  and  a  fire-steel,  which  were  to  be  used  in  case  the 
matches  should  become  worthless. 

I  had  also  a  lancet,  a  little  bottle  of  ammonia  to  be 
used  in  the  event  of  either  of  us  being  bitten  by  a  scor- 
pion or  some  venomous  serpent,  some  medicine,  and  a 
bottle  of  quinine. 

For  food  we  had  a  few  plantains  and  dried  cassada. 
Then  we  expected  to  find  berries,  nuts,  and  fruits,  and 
wild  honey.  Of  course  our  imagination  ran  wild.  The 
idea  of  Gambo  was  that  the  forest  would  be  full  of 
wild  game ;  antelopes  were  to  be  plentiful,  and  also  wild 
boars. 

Our  outfit  was  of  the  light  order.  Gambo,  Malaouen, 
and  Querlaouen  wore  next  to  nothing,  and  they  had  no 
change  of  clothes  but  a  wild-cat  skin.  They  could  take 
it  easy  in  the  matter  of  clothing — shirts,  neck-ties,  panta- 
loons, waistcoats,  and  coats  were  superfluities  which  they 
can  dispense  with. 

My  outfit  was  composed  of  the  clothes  I  wore,  and  in 
my  hunting-bag  I  had  an  extra  pair  of  thick  shoes,  in 
case  those  I  wore  should  give  out,  and  a  second  pair  of 
pantaloons. 

Each  of  us  had  a  flask  full  of  powder,  with  a  goodly 
number  of  bullets,  and  some  small  shot. 

At  last  we  came  to  the  spot  where  we  wanted  to  land, 


64  LOST  IN  THE  JUNGLE. 

and  then  hauled  our  canoe  into  the  jungle,  hiding  it 
where  we  thought  no  one  could  see  it.  Afterward  we 
advanced  a  little  into  the  forest,  and  then  made  our 
camp  for  the  night.  As  usual,  we  made  large,  blazing 
fires,  and,  after  they  had  been  fairly  started,  we  laid 
down  on  the  green  branches  of  the  trees  we  had  cut, 
and  before  I  knew  it  my  men  were  fast  asleep.  The 
deep  snore  of  Gambo  told  me  that  he  was  unconscious 
of  what  was  going  on  around ;  he  was  soon  followed  by 
Querlaouen  and  Malaouen,  and  they  snorted  a  trio  which 
would  have  well  frightened  any  wild  beast  which  might 
come  lurking  round  us.  Each  of  these  men  held  their 
gtfns  closely  in  their  arms. 

I  rose  and  looked  at  these  three  brave  and  daring 
savages,  who  now  slumbered  perfectly  unconscious  and 
helpless.  I  looked  at  them  with  a  feeling  of  love,  and 
thought  that  soon,  like  themselves,  I  would  fall  asleep, 
and  be  as  unconscious  of  all  that  was  round  me.  I 
thought  of  the  wild  country  I  was  in,  of  the  wild  beasts 
by  which  I  was  surrounded,  and  I  began  to  feel  so  little 
and  so  weak,  I  seated  myself  and  prayed  to  the  great 
God,  he  who  had  created  the  white  man,  and  the  black 
man,  and  all  species  of  men,  and  the  wild  beasts  of  the 
forest,  to  keep  me  as  he  had  done  before. 

Continuing  our  wanderings  in  the  forest,  the  next 
morning  I  came  alone  to  a  beautiful  little  stream,  and 
just  as  I  was  in  the  act  of  stooping  to  drink  some  of  its 
water,  which  was  as  clear  as  crystal,  I  suddenly  heard  a 
slight  noise  not  far  off,  which  I  believed  must  be  made 
by  antelopes  or  gazelles.  Looking  carefully  at  my  gun, 
I  made  for  that  part  of  the  forest  from  whence  came 
the  sounds,  trying  to  be  as  nimble  and  as  noiseless  as  I 


APPEARANCE  OF    THE  BONGO.  65 

could.  I  had  not  proceeded  far  when  my  eyes  opened 
wide  open,  -and  I  became  terribly  excited,  for  I  saw  an 
animal  I  had  never  seen  before — an  antelope.  It  was 
the  most  lovely  and  beautiful  creature  of  the  forest  I 
had  ever  seen.  I  stopped.  It  seemed  to  me  that  I  had 
not  eyes  big  enough  to  admire  it.  Oh,  I  thought,  it  is 
too  beautiful  to  be  fired  at  and  killed.  How  brilliant 
was  his  colors!  The  body  was  of  a  bright  yellow,  as 
bright  as  an  orange ;  then  from  its  back  came  fourteen 
beautiful  stripes,  as  white  as  snow ;  a  chestnut  patch  be- 
tween the  horns  and  the  eyes,  below  which  was  a  white 
crescent,  having  in  the  middle  a  dark  brown  stripe. 
That  beautiful  creature  was  quietly  resting  on  the  trunk 
of  a  dead  tree,  while  beyond,,  among  the  trees,  were  sev- 
eral others  which  I  could  not  see  so  well. 

I  was  so  excited  I  could  not  breathe,  for  of  all  the 
lovely  beasts  I  had  seen  hi  the  forest,  this  one  was  the 
most  lovely ;  none  could  have  compared  with  it  in  beau- 
ty. The  skin  of  the  leopard  was  nothing  to  it. 

I  raised  my  gun  almost  in  sorrow,  but  I  felt  that  I 
must  kill  the  beast,  in  order  to  bring  its  skin  home ;  for 
I  knew  it  was  an  animal  that  had  never  been  seen  be- 
fore. 

Just  as  I  raised  my  gun,  the  beautiful  creature  rose  up 
from  the  tree  on  which  it  had  slept,  as  if  to  show  me  its 
beautiful  form,  and  how  graceful  were  its  motions,  before 
the  fatal  shot  should  put  an  end  to  its  life.  I  wish  you 
could  have  seen  this  antelope  when  alive,  surrounded  by 
the  green  of  the  forest,  which  contrasted  singularly  with 
its  bright  color,  and  made  the  animal  appear  as  if  it  had 
come  from  an  enchanted  land,  where  the  sun  had  given 
to  its  hair  and  skin  its  own  golden  color,  as  it  sometimes 

5 


BHOOTWa   TH*  KXW   ANTJELOPfc 


KILL    THE  BONGO.  67 

gives  it  to  the  clouds  when  it  is  on  the  point  of  disappear- 
ing. 

I  put  my  finger  on  the  trigger  and  fired ;  down  came 
that  beautiful  creature  from  the  tree,  falling  on  its  back, 
showing  a  stomach  as  white  as  milk.  The  others  de- 
camped without  my  being  able  to  fire  at  them,  on  ac- 
count of  the  fallen  tree. 

As  I  came  near  to  look  at  my  great  prize,  I  felt  that  I 
would  like  to  put  my  arm  round  the  nice  neck  of  the  an- 
imal, whose  short  groans  betokened  it  was  in  the  agonies 
of  death,  for  I  felt  so  sorry,  and  I  wished  I  could  see  it 
alive  again.  Then  the  blood  poured  from  its  mouth,  and 
stained  the  ground  on  which  it  lay  gasping  for  breath, 
which  it  could  not  get.  After  a  few  struggles  all  be- 
came silent ;  the  poor  antelope  was  dead,  killed  by  the 
ruthless  hand  of  man. 

I  looked  at  it  and  looked  at  it,  for  I  could  not  tire 
looking  at  such  a  beautiful  beast. 

The  men  came,  and  we  cut  a  heavy  branch  of  a  tree, 
to  which  we  fastened  it,  and  brought  the  poor  dead  an- 
telope to  the  camp.  When  I  brought  the  stuffed  animal 
to  a  village,  the  people  at  once  shouted  with  transports 
of  the  wildest  astonishment,  "  Bongo !  bongo !"  for  such 
was  the  native  name  given  to  this  antelope. 

I  need  not  say  how  careful  I  was  in  preparing  its  skin, 
which  to  me  was  precious,  and  I  brought  the  stuffed  speci- 
men back  to  New  York  in  the  year  1859,  and  in  1860  it 
could  have  been  seen  among  the  large  collection  I  had 
brought  here.* 

The  collection  has  left  the  country. 

*  A  description  of  it  can  be  seen  in  the  report  of  the  Boston  Natural 
History  Society  for  1860. 


68  LOST  ET  THE  JUNOLtL 

Since  the  day  I  had  killed  the  bongo  we  had  built  an« 
other  camp  near  another  beautiful  stream  —  the  forest 
was  full  of  them — and  not  far  from  two  or  three  aban- 
doned plantations.  Often  I  would  go  all  alone  and  watch 
the  birds.  I  loved  especially  to  look  at  the  swallows 
One  which  I  discovered  was  a  beautiful  species.  It  is 
all  black,  but  with  a  bluish  tinge.  When  the  weather 
was  clear,  and  there  was  no  prospect  of  an  approaching 
storm,  they  flew  high  in  the  air ;  but  if  the  weather  was 
threatening,  they  would  almost  touch  the  bushes.  When 
they  fly  high  in  the  air,  the  insects  on  which  they  feed,  I 
suppose,  are  there ;  but  when  a  storm  is  coming  the  in- 
sects no  doubt  know  it,  and  come  down  to  seek  refuge 
from  the  rain  under  the  leaves  or  blades  of  grass.  These 
are  the  reasons  by  which  I  account  for  the  swallows  fly 
ing  high  in  fine  weather,  and  low  when  a  storm  is  com 

ing- 
How  quickly  these  little  black  swallows  did  fly !  None 
of  them  had  ever  seen  our  northern  clime.  They  were 
birds  of  the  equatorial  regions  of  Africa.  The  woods 
are  their  home,  and  the  open  spots  where  plantations  or 
villages  are  built,  and  where  the  rivers  flow,  are  the  places 
where  they  love  to  fly  in  search  of  their  food. 

There  was  another  beautiful  swallow,  a  river  swallow, 
black  in  color,  with  a  solitary  white  spot,  which  looked 
like  silver,  on  its  throat.  What  a  beautiful  little  bird  it 
is !  Its  days  were  spent  flying  over  the  river.  It  would 
take  a  flight,  and  then  rest  on  the  branches  or  stumps  of 
some  dead  trees  which  were  imbedded  in  the  stream,  but 
the  branches  of  which  were  just  above  the  water. 

I  could  not  help  feeling  sorry  when  killing  these  little 
birds,  and,  after  I  thought  I  had  killed  enough  of  them 


THE  HONE  OF  THE  SWALLOWS.  69 

to  enrich  the  museums,  nothing  would  have  tempted  me 
to  kill  another. 

This  lovely  and  dear  little  swallow  has  never  seen  the 
countries  where  the  polar  star  is  visible;  the  silence  of 
the  forest  is  its  delight,  and  its  pleasure  is  to  skim  over 
the  waters  of  rivers  which  come  from  unexplored  and 
impenetrated  mountains,  where  the  name  of  the  white 
man  has  never  been  heard. 

How  I  loved  to  look  at  these  little  birds,  for  I  do  love 
swallows  I 

Little  wanderers  they  are.  At  home  they  are  the  her- 
alds of  spring.  If  they  could  speak,  how  many  touching 
Btories  they  would  have  to  tell  us  of  their  wonderful  es- 
capes, and  of  their  trials  and  dangers ;  what  hardships 
they  have  to  encounter  when  they  migrate  and  travel 
over  distant  lands,  when  they  cross  over  seas  and  over 
mountains ;  how  many  of  them  fall  bravely  before  reach- 
ing the  land  they  want  to  reach ;  what  stormy  and  tem- 
pestuous weather  they  often  meet  in  their  journey,  and 
how  happy  they  must  feel  when  they  have  come  to  the 
land  of  their  migration. 


CHAPTEK  IX. 

WE  HEAK  THE  GET  OF  A  YOUNG  GOEILLA. START  TO  CAP« 

TUBE  HIM. FIGHT  WITH  "  HIS   FATHER." WE  KILL  HIM. 

KILL  THE  MOTHER. CAPTURE  OF  THE  BABY. STRANGE 

CAMP  SCENE. 

ONE  very  fine  morning,  just  at  the  dawn  of  day,  when 
the  dew-drops  were  falling  from  leaf  to  leaf,  and  could 
hardly  reach  the  ground;  just  as  the  birds  were  begin- 
ning to  sing,  the  insects  to  hum,  the  bee  to  buzz,  the 
butterflies  to  awake,  I  suddenly  heard  the  cry  of  a  young 
gorilla  for  his  mother.  Malaouen  and  Querlaouen  were 
with  me.  They  heard  the  cry  as  well  as  I  did,  and  im- 
mediately gave  a  kind  of  chuck  for  me  to  remain  still. 
We  listended  attentively  to  ascertain  the  exact  spot  in 
the  forest  whence  the  noise  proceeded.  Another  cry 
from  the  young  gorilla  told  us  the  precise  direction,  and 
we  made  for  the  place. 

The  jungle  was  so  thick  that  we  had  to  be  most  care- 
ful in  order  to  avoid  arousing  the  suspicions  of  the  go- 
rilla. Happily,  we  came  to  a  little  rivulet  which  seemed 
to  flow  from  the  direction  in  which  we  had  heard  the 
noise.  So  we  waded  into  it  and  followed  its  course  in- 
stead of  a  path.  The  water  at  times  reached  as  high  as 
our  knees ;  it  was  cool  and  limpid,  and  the  bed  of  the 
stream  was  gravelly. 

The  noise  made  by  the  young  gorilla  had  for  some 


A TTA CKED  BY  A  FA THER  6 ORILLA.  7 1 

time  ceased,  and  we  wondered  if  he  had  gone.  When, 
lo !  I  heard  a  heavy  chuckle — it  was  the  mother !  We 
were  not  far  off.  We  left  the  stream,  passing  through 
the  jungle  most  carefully.  At  last  we  lay  flat  on  our 
bellies,  looking  more  like  snakes  than  human  beings.  I 
had  that  morning  painted  my  face  and  hands  black,  so  I 
appeared  of  the  same  color  as  my  men.  We  crawled  to 
a  spot  where  we  remained  quite  still,  for  we  could  then 
hear  the  noise  the  mother  gorilla  made  in  taking  the  ber- 
ries from  the  lower  branches  of  the  trees,  or  in  tearing 
down  some  wild  kind  of  cane.  We  were  watching  and 
peering  through  the  jungle — my  eyes  were  almost  sore 
from  the  exertion. 

By-and-by  we  heard  a  noise  in  our  rear.  It  was  the 
male  gorilla!  What  a  terrific  roar  he  gave  as  he  saw 
us  close  by,  and  watching  his  wife.  The  whole  forest 
resounded  with  it.  Goodness  gracious!  I  thought  we 
ought  to  have  been  more  careful.  We  ought  to  have 
considered  that  perhaps  the  male  gorilla  was  with  his 
wife.  But  in  less  time  than  I  take  to  write  it  we  were 
facing  the  gorilla,  who  advanced  toward  us,  his  face  con- 
vulsed with  rage.  Just  as  he  was  close  upon  us  we  fired, 
and  he  fell  forward  on  his  face,  uttering  a  most  frightful 
groan.  After  a  few  movements  and  twitchings  of  tne 
limbs,  he  was  silent,  for  he  was  dead. 

In  the  mean  time  the  mother  and  her  young  had  gone 
off,  leaving  the  "  big  fellow"  to  fight  their  battles. 

It  was  a  good  thing  that  the  big  gorilla  came  first,  for 
he  might  have  come  after  we  had  fired,  and  while  we 
were  trying  to  catch  "  his  child,"  and  then  pounced  upon 
us. 

"The  female  gorilla  and  her  young  have  gone;  but 


72  LOST  IN  THE  JUNGLE. 

first,"  said  Malaouen,  "  let  us  hide  ourselves  close  by  and 
wait ;  perhaps  she  will  come  back ;  let  us  see  if  we  can 
not  find  them."  We  hid  ourselves  on  the  lower  branches 
of  a  tree,  not  far  from  the  dead  body  of  the  big  gorilk. 
We  waited  and  waited — not  a  sound — nothing  to  show 
that  the  female  gorilla  was  coming  back  to  see  if  her 
mate  was  there. 

Beginning  to  feel  somewhat  tired  of  waiting,  I  said, 
*  Boys,  let  us  see  if  we  can  find  the  gorilla.  You  know, 
as  well  as  I  do,  that  female  gorilla  are  timid — indeed, 
that  most  of  them  are  great  cowards.  The '  men'  gorilla 
fight,  but  the  '  women'  gorilla  do  not." 

"  That  is  so,"  replied  Malaouen.  "  Querlaouen,  let  us 
go  after  the  female  and  try  to  capture  her." 

So  we  descended  the  tree  upon  which  we  had  hidden 
ourselves.  We  left  the  big  gorilla  dead  on  the  ground, 
bidding  him  good-by,  and  telling  him  that  we  were  com- 
ing again ;  Malaouen  adding  in  a  queer  way, "  Kombo" 
(that  is  the  name  they  give  to  a  male  gorilla), "who  told 
you  to  come  and  fight  us  ?  If  you  had  not  come,  perhaps 
at  this  time  you  might  have  been  by  the  side  of  your 
wife  and  child,  instead  of  being  asleep  for  all  time  to 
come.  The  forest  is  not  going  to  hear  your  '  talk'  any 
more,  and  you  are  not  going  to  frighten  any  body."  So 
we  left  the  big  fellow  dead  on  the  ground,  and  went 
immediately  in  search  of  the  female  gorilla  and  her 
young. 

In  order  not  to  lose  our  dead  gorilla,  as  we  advanced 
in  the  jungle,  we  broke,  here  and  there,  young  branches 
of  the  trees,  and  from  time  to  time  collected  leaves  in 
our  hands,  which  we  dropped  on  the  ground,  and  then,  on 
our  return,  we  would  look  after  the  boughs  of  the  trees 


THE  MOTHER  GORILLA  AND  HER  YOUNG.  73 

we  had  broken,  and  the  leaves  we  had  scattered,  and  thus 
find  our  way  back  to  the  gorilla. 

We  traveled  on  through  the  jungle  for  a  long  time, 
and  no  gorilla.  At  last  we  were  startled.  We  heard  a 
roar.  It  was  the  female  calling  for  her  mate.  It  was 
the  female  that  had  escaped  from  us  in  the  morning. 
She  was  calling  for  the  "  old  man,"  who  would  not  hear 
her  any  more,  for,  as  you  know,  he  was  dead.  She  called 
and  called,  but  there  was  no  answer  for  her. 

Carefully  we  went  through  the  jungle,  stepping  gently 
on  the  dead  leaves  of  the  trees  till  we  came  near  the  fe- 
male gorilla,  which  we  saw  just  behind  an  old  tree  that 
had  fallen  on  the  ground.  There  she  was,  looking  at  her 
babe,  giving  now  and  then  a  kind  of  chuckle,  her  old, 
wrinkled  black  face  looking  so  ugly.  Her  gray  eyes  fol- 
lowed the  young  gorilla  as  he  would  move  round ;  then 
she  would  pick  a  berry,  giving  another  kind  of  chuckle 
for  the  baby  to  come  and  get  it.  After  eating  it  he 
would  climb  on  his  mother,  and  she  would  pass  her 
thick  black  hand  over  the  little  body.  Then  he  came 
down  and  seated  himself  between  her  legs,  and  gazed  at 
her,  his  little  black  face  looking  so  queer.  Then  ho 
moved  off  again,  but  only  to  return  once  more.  .-^4 
I  was  very  intently  watching,  my  gun  slipped  from 
the  tree  along  which  it  rested,  and  fell  on  the  ground. 
The  gorilla  heard  it,  gave  a  shriek,  and,  followed  by  her 
babe,  was  starting  to  run.  The  gun  of  Querlaouen  was 
too  quick  for  her.  Bang !  The  poor  mother  fell  in  her 
gore,  but  the  little  fellow  disappeared  in  the  woods. 

We  leaped  over  the  tree,  and  did  not  even  take  a  look 
at  the  poor  dead  gorilla,  but  rushed  in  pursuit  of  the 
young  fellow,  who  was  the  prize  we  wanted  the  most. 


74  LOST  IN  THE  JUNQLE. 

At  last  we  saw  him ;  a  stream  had  stopped  his  flight 
He  could  not  get  any  farther,  and  was  looking  toward 
the  other  side.  But  he  soon  spied  us,  and  took  to  a 
young  sapling,  and  when  he  had  reached  the  top  he 
looked  at  us  with  glaring  eyes,  and — would  you  believe 
it  ? — howled  again  and  again  at  us ! 

There  was  no  way  to  get  at  him,  so  Malaouen  took  his 
axe,  and  down  came  the  tree,  with  the  gorilla  on  it,  howl- 
ing and  shrieking.  At  the  same  instant  Querlaouen  threw 
over  his  head  a  little  net  we  carried  with  us  for  the  pur- 
pose of  capturing  gorillas,  and  so  we  caught  him. 

We  hollaed  and  shouted  also,  so  our  shouts,  mixed 
with  the  howls  and  shrieks  of  the  gorilla,  made  a  charm- 
ing concert  in  the  jungle.  After  giving  vent  to  our  joy- 
ous feelings  by  shouts,  and  had  sobered  down  again,  I 
wish  you  could  have  seen  that  gorilla  kicking  under  its 
net.  The  question  was  how  to  take  the  fellow  from  un- 
der the  net  and  get  it  home.  I  cried, "  Give  me  the  axe ; 
I  see  a  branch  close  by  which  will  make  a  splendid  forked 
stick."  The  words  were  hardly  uttered  before  the  axe 
was  in  my  hands,  and  in  the  wink  of  an  eye  I  had  hold 
of  a  stick  about  five  feet  long,  with  a  pronged  fork. 
Malaouen  had  in  the  mean  time  cut  a  little  stick  to  tie 
across  it,  and  collected  some  creepers  to  be  used  as  cords. 

I  wish  you  could  have  heard  his  howls  as  Querlaouen 
seized  the  little  villain  by  the  back  of  his  head,  while  I 
put  the  forked  stick  on  his  neck,  holding  it  fast  to  the 
ground  while  Malaouen  was  tying  the  little  stick,  now 
and  then  taking  his  hands  off  for  fear  of  a  bite,  the  little 
rascal  kicked  up  such  a  row.  Querlaouen,  who  had  be- 
come free  to  act  after  I  get  the  forked  stick  firm  over 
his  neck,  had  all  he  could  do  to  hold  the  legs  of  the  lit' 


TOUNG  GORILLA  A  PRISONER.  75 

tie  fellow  on  the  ground,  who  kicked  up,  hollaed,  and 
shrieked ;  his  muscles  worked,  and  he  tried  to  catch  hold 
of  us  with  his  hands,  but  the  forked  stick  was  too  much 
for  him,  and  then  we  succeeded  in  tying  his  hands  be- 
hind his  back. 

I  was  sorry  to  hurt  his  poor  neck,  but  the  first  thing 
the  little  rascal  attempted  as  soon  as  I  raised  the  stick 
from  the  ground  was  to  start  at  us.  But  he  could  not 
even  turn  his  head  round.  lie  had  to  walk  off  a  prison- 
er, and  his  shouts  and  shrieks  were  of  no  avail.  Hi 3 
father  and  mother  had  been  killed,  and  he  had  no  one 
to  defend  him  from  his  enemies. 

How  proud  we  felt  of  our  prize !  "We  returned  by  the 
way  we  had  come,  being  guided  by  the  broken  boughs  of 
young  trees  and  the  leaves  we  had  thrown  on  the  ground. 
As  soon  as  we  came  to  the  female  gorilla,  and  the  little 
fellow  saw  his  mother,  he  tried  to  rush  toward  her.  I 
dropped  the  forked  stick  and  let  him  go.  He  at  once 
jumped  on  his  mother,  and  began  sucking  her  breasts, 
and  then  looked  in  her  face,  and  appeared  to  feel  quite 
sorrowful.  When  he  saw  she  was  dead,  he 'gave  a  howl 
at  us,  as  if  to  say, "  You  fellows  have  killed  my  mother !" 

It  was  utterly  impossible  for  us  to  carry  to  our  camp 
all  our  spoil,  so  we  concluded  to  hang  her  to  a  branch  of 
a  tree,  and  come  for  her  the  next  morning,  which  we 
did. 

Then  we  continued  our  march,  and  toward  sunset 
came  to  the  large  male  we  had  killed  in  the  moraing. 
We  were  so  tired  that  we  did  not  wish  to  do  any  thing 
with  the  big  gorilla  that  night.  I  felt  I  was  too  tired  to 
take  his  skin  off.  The  little  fellow  did  not  seem  to  care 
for  his  father ;  he  looked  at  him  well,  and  gave  only  a 


76  LOST  IN  THE  JUNGLE. 

single  plaintive  cry.  I  could  not  help  thinking  of  the 
poor  old  fellow.  How  many  times  he  had  slept  at  the 
foot  of  some  big  tree,  and  kept  watch  over  his  wife  and 
baby !  Now  he  was  dead,  nothing  but  his  huge  body  and 
his  tremendous  face  showed  the  giant  strength  he  once 
possessed ;  now  a  little  insect  was  stronger  than  he  was. 

What  had  he  died  for?  He  had  died  bravely  defend- 
ing his  wife  and  baby  from  an  enemy  whom  he  knew 
had  come  to  do  them  harm.  He  was  right.  May  I  and 
every  man  of  us  always  have  the  same  motive  that  big 
gorilla  had ! 

I  could  not  help  feeling  sorry.  Here  lay  dead  before 
me  a  wonderful  beast,  one  of  the  most  strange  creatures 
of  the  forest  God  has  created.  His  mate  lay  dead  in  an- 
other part  of  the  forest,  and  their  offspring  was  my  pris- 
oner. 

How  strange  his  huge  shadow  looked  as  he  hung  by 
the  neck  to  the  limb  of  a  tree  near  our  camp.,  and  how 
small  our  bodies  looked  by  the  side  of  his ! 

That  night  I  could  not  sleep.  That  big  gorilla  was 
always  before  my  eyes.  He  seemed  to  grin  at  me ;  his 
long,  powerful  arm,  his  huge  hands,  appeared  as  if  they 
were  moving  and  trying  to  seize  me.  I  could  see  his  big 
black  nails  ready  to  go  into  my  flesh ;  his  mouth  seemed 
ready  to  open  and  give  one  of  those  terrific  roars  which 
shake  the  whole  forest.  And  then  I  would  see  his  enor- 
mous canines  come  out  from  his  sharp-cut  lips,  and  how 
red  his  mouth  was  inside.  There  were  his  deep  sunken 
eyes,  wide  open,  looking  at  me,  and,  though  dead,  he  had 
a  scowl  of  defiance  and  intense  ferocity  on  his  face.  It 
BO  happened  that  his  face  was  turned  toward  the  bed  of 
leaves  on  which  I  lay,  and  he  was  hung  not  far  from  me, 


q  UEELA  0  UEN  BLEEDS  HIS  HANDS.  7  7 

The  young  gorilla  during  the  whole  night  moaned  for 
his  mother.  He  would  look  at  the  fires  before  him,  then 
at  us,  and  then  give  a  howl,  as  if  he  was  saying, "  What 
have  I  before  me  ?"  I  decidedly  frightened  him  more 
than  Malaouen  and  Querlaouen  could,  for,  in  despite  of 
the  noise  the  young  gorilla  made,  and  of  the  shadow  of 
the  big  gorilla,  they  had  fallen  sound  asleep.  But  now 
and  then  they  would  awake,  look  at  the  fires,  put  on 
more  wood  to  make  a  blaze,  would  perhaps  smoke  a 
pipe,  and  then  go  to  sleep  again. 

Toward  four  o'clock  in  the  morning  Querlaouen  arose, 
took  from  his  bag  a  little  idol,  and  put  it  on  the  ground, 
muttering  words  I  could  not  hear,  all  the  time  thinking 
I  was  sound  asleep.  Then  he  took  a  piece  of  chalk  of 
the  Alumbi,  and  rubbed  it  on  his  forehead  between  his 
two  eyes ;  then  he  rubbed  it  in  the  hollow  of  his  chest, 
and  along  both  his  arms ;  then  he  chewed  a  piece  of  a 
certain  soft  cane,  which  he  spat  on  the  idol;  and  then 
he  talked  to  it.  Now  and  then  he  muttered  my  name. 
At  last  I  understood  that  the  ignorant  but  good  fellow 
was  begging  his  idol  to  take  care  of  me. 

Then,  with  his  sharp  -  pointed  knife,  he  cut  his  two 
hands  slightly  in  many  places,  and  took  the  blood  that 
fell  and  rubbed  his  body  with  it,  also  the  idol,  and  then 
laid  down  once  more  by  the  fires  and  took  another 
sleep. 

Gambo  had  left  us  to  go  after  wild  honey,  but  not  be- 
fore making  us  a  solemn  promise  not  to  hunt  gorilla,  for 
I  was  afraid  that  some  accident  might  happen  to  him. 
The  next  morning  when  he  returned  to  our  camp,  and 
saw  our  big  gorilla  hanging  to  the  tree,  and  heard  that 
the  mother  of  the  young  gorilla  had  been  killed  also,  he 


QCEBLAOUEN    AND   Ills    IDOL. 


I  KILL  A  NSHIEGO-MBOUV&  79 

cried, "  Why  did  I  go  after  wild  honey  instead  of  re- 
maining with  you !"  But  he  quietly  seated  himself,  and 
after  a  while  wanted  a  piece  of  gorilla  for  his  breakfast, 
for  we  had  to  skin  the  beast,  as  I  wanted  his  hide  and 
skeleton. 

The  next  evening  I  saw  the  shelter  of  a  nshiego- 
mbouve  (Troglodytes  calvus).  I  crept  within  shot  of 
the  shelter,  lay  down  flat  in  the  jungle — I  am  sure  a 
snake  or  leopard  could  not  have  lain  more  quiet — and 
there  I  waited.  My  men  had  covered  themselves  with 
dry  leaves  and  brush,  scarce  daring  to  breathe,  lest  the 
approaching  animal  should  hear  us. 

From  the  calls  there  were  evidently  two.  It  was  get- 
ting dark  in  the  forest,  and  I  began  to  feel  afraid  that 
ths  animals  had  smelt  us,  when  I  saw  a  nshiego-mbouve* 
approach  the  tree  where  the  shelter  was.  It  ascended 
by  a  hand-over-hand  movement,  and  with  great  rapidity. 
Then  it  crept  carefully  under  the  shelter,  seated  itself  in 
the  crotch  made  by  a  projecting  bough,  its  feet  and 
haunches  resting  on  this  bough,  then  put  one  arm  round 
the  trunk  of  the  tree  for  security.  Thus  they  rest  all 
night,  and  this  posture  accounts  for  some  singular  abra- 
sions of  the  hair  on  the  side  of  this  variety  of  chimpan- 
zee, which  could  be  seen  on  the  specimens  I  brought 
home. 

ISTo  sooner  was  it  seated  than  it  began  again  to  utter 
its  call.  It  was  a  male,  and  was  calling  for  its  female. 
It  was  answered,  when  an  unlucky  motion  of  one  of  my 
men  made  a  noise,  and  roused  the  suspicions  of  the  ape 
in  the  tree.  It  looked  round.  It  began  preparations  to 
descend  and  clear  out.  I  fired,  and  it  fell  to  the  ground 
dead,  with  a  tremendous  crash. 


80  LOST  IN  THE  JUNGLE. 

These  nshiego-mbouve  are  very  shy,  and  far  more  dif- 
ficult to  approach  than  gorillas.  How  queer  they  look 
with  their  bald  heads !  The  black  skin  on  the  top  of 
the  head  is  quite  shiny.  They  must  attain  great  age, 
and  I  have  often  wondered  how  long  the  gorilla,  chim- 
panzee, kooloo-kamba,  and  nshiego-mbouve  live.  I  should 
not  be  surprised  if  they  sometimes  live  to  be  a  hundred 
years  old. 

All  the  varieties  of  chimpanzees  often  inhabit  the 
eame  woods  as  the  gorilla,  and  they  seem  to  li ve  in  har- 
mony with  each  other.  There  is  food  enough  for  them 
all ;  besides,  nuts  and  fruits  are  very  plentiful.  When 
they  get  old  they  feed  on  leaves,  for  a  time  comes  when 
their  teeth  are  quite  decayed.  In  one  very  old  nsliiego- 
mbouve  I  killed,  nearly  all  of  his  teeth  had  dropped  out, 
and  he  had  but  four  or  five  left 


CHAPTER  X. 

JACK   WILL    HAVE    HIS    OWN   WAT. HE    SEIZES    MY   LEG. — 

HE    TEAKS    MY    PANTALOONS. HE    GROWLS    AT    ME. HB 

REFUSES    COOKED    FOOD. JACK   MAKES    HIS   BED. JACK 

SLEEPS    WITH   ONE   EYE   OPEN. JACK   18   INTRACTABLE. 

Now  let  us  follow  that  young  gorilla,  whom  I  called 
Jack. 

Jack,  to  begin  with,  was  the  most  untractable  little 
beast  one  possibly  could  get  hold  of.  Jack  was  a  little 
villain,  a  little  rogue,  very  treacherous,  and  quite  untam- 
able. The  kinder  I  was,  the  worse  he  seemed  to  be. 
We  took  him  with  us  in  the  forest  till  we  returned  to 
our  village,  and  then  many  of  the  women  disappeared. 

Jack  was  smart  in  his  wickedness,  and  was  quite  as 
treacherous  as  any  of  the  gorillas  I  had  met  before.  He 
would  not  eat  any  cooked  food,  and  every  day  I  had  to 
send  into  the  forest  for  berries  and  nuts.  I  wish  you 
could  have  seen  his  eyes  glisten,  you  would  have  noticed 
how  treacherous  and  gloomy  they  were.  Jack  was  cun- 
ning ;  he  would  look  at  me  right  straight  in  the  face, 
and  when  he  did  that  I  learned  that  he  meant  mischief, 
and,  if  close  at  hand,  meant  an  attack  upon  me. 

Of  course,  once  in  the  camp,  the  forked  stick  had  been 
taken  away,  and  a  little  chain  tied  round  the  neck  of 
Jack ;  the  chain  was  about  six  feet  long.  Then  I  had  a 
long  pole  fastened  in  the  ground,  and  the  chain  was  tied 


82 


LOST  IN  THE  JUNGLE. 


to  an  iron  ring  which  had  been  used  as  a  bracelet  on  the 
upper  arm  of  a  native,  by  which  means  he  could  turn  all 
round  without  entangling  the  chain. 

One  day  I  had  come  to  offer  Jack  some  tondo  (ber- 
ries) which  friend  Malaouen  had  just  collected  for  him. 
(I  wanted  always  to  feed  Jack  myself,  to  see  if  I  could 
tame  him),  and  I  approached  the  little  fellow  to  within 
the  distance  which  I  thought  the  utmost  length  of  his 
chain  would  allow  him  to  go.  He  looked  at  me  straight 
in  the  face,  and  I  waited  for  him  to  extend  his  arm  to  get 
the  nice  tondo  I  was  offering  him,  when,  quick  as  light- 
ning, he  threw  his  body  on  the  ground  on  one  arm  and 


CAUGHT  BY  JACK. 


one  leg,  the  chain  drawn  to  its  full  length,  and  then,  be- 
fore I  knew  it,  he  seized  my  leg,  and  with  his  big  toe 
got  hold  and  fast  of  my  inexpressibles,  which  were  rath- 
er old,  and  a  portion  of  them  was  soon  in  his  possession. 


A  PIECE  OF  MY  PANTALOOXS  OFF.  83 

I  thought  in  my  fright  that  a  piece  of  my  leg  had  also 
been  taken  away,  which  I  am  glad  to  say  was  not  the 
case.  Still  holding  the  piece  of  my  pantaloons,  he  re- 
treated to  his  pole,  then  gave  a  howl  and  started  at  me 
again.  This  time  I  knew  better — I  was  off.  He  held  the 
piece  of  my  pantaloons  for  a  long  time,  it  having  passed 
from  his  big  toe  into  his  hand. 

Jack  looked  at  times  almost  cross-eyed,  and  was  as 
ugly  a  fellow  as  any  one  could  wish  to  see.  He  was  not 
so  strong  as  friend  Joe,  the  account  of  which  you  have 
read  in  "  Stories  of  the  Gorilla  Country,"  but  he  was  a 
pretty  strong  chap,  and  I  should  not  have  liked  to  be 
shut  up  in  a  room  alone  with  him.  Several  times  I  had 
narrow  escapes  of  a  grip  from  his  strong  big  toe. 

When  evening  came,  Jack'would  collect  the  dry  leaves 
I  had  given  him,  and  would  go  to  sleep  upon  them,  and 
sometimes  he  did  look  almost  like  a  child. 

How  strange  that  I  never  saw  twin  gorillas!  The 
mother  gorilla  has  only  one  baby  gorilla  at  a  time.  My 
men  and  I  have  captured  a  good  many  of  their  young 
ones  during  the  time  I  lived  in  the  great  forest  of  Equa- 
torial Africa,  but  I  never  succeeded  in  taming  one.  Some 
were  more  fierce  or  stubborn  than  others,  but  all  refused 
food  that  was  cooked ;  the  berries,  nuts,  and  fruits  must 
come  from  the  forest.  Though  these  little  brutes  were 
diminutive,  and  the  merest  babies  in  age,  they  were  as- 
tonishingly strong,  and,  as  you  have  yourselves  seen  in 
the  different  accounts  I  have  given  you,  by  no  means 
good  tempered.  When  any  thing  displeased  them  they 
would  roar,  and  bellow,  and  look  wickedly  from  out  theii 
cunning  little  eyes,  and  strike  the  ground  with  their  feet. 

Jack  was  not  go  ugly-looking  a  fellow  as  friend  Joe, 


84  LOST  IN  THE  JVXGLJe. 

neither  was  he  as  strong.  Like  all  the  gorillas,  his  face 
and  his  skin  were  entirely  black.  His  little  eyes,  deep 
and  sunken,  seemed  to  be  gray ;  his  nose  was  more  prom- 
inent  than  in  the  chimpanzee,  for  gorillas  have  noses, 
and  consequently  he  comes  nearer  in  appearance  than 
the  chimpanzee  to  the  African  negro.  He  had,  as  we 
have,  eyelashes,  and  the  upper  ones  were  the  longest. 
His  mouth  was  large,  and  the  lips  sharply  cut.  The  go- 
rilla has  no  lips  like  we  have ;  the  dark  pigment  covera 
them,  and  when  his  mouth  is  shut  no  red  is  seen  outside. 
The  ears  are  small  in  comparison  with  the  face,  and  they 
are  smaller  than  the  ears  of  man.  Their  ears  are  much 
smaller  than  those  of  the  chimpanzee,  and  look  very  much 
like  the  ears  of  man ;  the  chin  is  short  and  receding. 

The  face  is  very  wrinkled ;  the  head  is  covered  with 
hair  much  shorter  than  that  on  the  body,  and  in  the  male 
gorilla  the  top  of  the  head  has  a  reddish  crown  of  hair. 

You  see  how  much  the  arm  of  the  gorilla  is  like  the 
arm  of  man — how  short  his  legs  are.  The  leg  is  about 
the  same  size  from  the  knee  to  the  ankle,  the  short  thigh 
decreasing  slightly.  The  leg  of  the  gorilla  has  not  the 
graceful  curve  found  in  man,  it  having  no  calf. 

I  want  you  to  examine  the  hands  and  feet  of  a  young 
gorilla.  You  will  be  struck  at  once  how  short  the  hand 
is,  and  how  much  it  looks  like  that  of  a  man.  The  fin- 
gers are  short,  but  how  thick  they  are !  the  nails  are  very 
much  like  ours,  and  project  slightly  over  the  tips  of  the 
fingers.  See  how  short  the  thumb  is — how  much  short- 
er than  the  thumb  of  man ;  it  is  hardly  half  as  thick  as 
the  forefinger.  The  thumb  is  of  very  little  use  to  a  go- 
rilla. The  palm  of  the  hand  is  hard,  naked,  and  callous ; 
the  back  is  hairy  to  the  knuckles,  and  the  short  hair  grows 
on  the  fingers,  as  in  man. 


86  L OST  IN  THE  JUNGLE. 

The  leg  of  the  gorilla  is  very  short.  Look  at  his  foot 
Instead  of  a  big  toe  he  has  a  thumb,  and  you  see,  by  the 
wrinkles  and  transverse  indents,  that  the  foot  is  used  as 
a  hand.  The  third  toe  is  a  little  longer  than  the  second, 
and  the  others  follow  in  the  same  proportion ;  and,  if  you 
look  at  your  own  feet,  you  will  see  that  the  toes  of  the 
gorilla  and  those  of  man  keep  the  same  gradation  of 
length,  the  middle  one  being  the  longest. 

Look  at  the  representation  of  a  young  gorilla  as  he 
sleeps.  He  certainly  looks  almost  like  a  baby ;  but  do  not 
believe  that  he  is  so  fast  asleep  that  you  need  make  a 
great  deal  of  noise  to  awake  him.  No ;  these  little  fel- 
lows seem  to  go  "  to  bed"  with  one  eye  open,  and  at  the 
least  noise  you  see  their  gray  eye  twinkle,  and  immedi- 
ately they  sit  up,  and  look  round  to  discover  what  is  the 
matter,  and  at  once  are  ready  for  a  fight.  As  they 
awake  they  generally  give  a  howl  of  defiance. 


CHAPTER  XI. 

START    AFTER    LAND-CKABS. VILLAGE    OF    THE    CRABS. — 

EACH     CRAB     KNOWS     HIS     HOUSE. GREAT     FLIGHT     OS 

CRABS. THEY    BITE    HARD. FEAST  ON   THE    SLAIN. A 

HERD   OF   HIPPOPOTAMI. 

WE  have  come  down  to  the  river.  We  are  off  in  our 
canoes  to  hunt  for  ogombon  (land-crabs),  each  one  of 
us  being  provided  with  a  basket  and  a  short  cutlass,  and 
are  paddling  for  some  spot  not  far  from  the  banks  of 
the  river  where  the  land-crabs  are  found  in  abundance. 
There  are  several  canoes  full  of  women,  for  catching 
crabs  is  the  special  business  of  the  women,  as  hunting  is 
the  special  work  of  the  men. 

The  land-crabs  burrow  in  the  ground.  Their  holes  are 
found  in  very  large  numbers  in  some  parts  of  the  coun- 
try. The  burrows  form  the  subterranean  homes  of  the 
crate,  into  which  they  retire  when  alarmed — and  the 
slightest  noise  does  that.  They  remain  in  their  burrows 
ui'til  hunger  drives  them  out  in  search  of  food,  or  when 
they  fancy  danger  is  averted. 

We  landed  at  last  on  a  swampy  bottom,  the  soil  of 
which  was  very  black.  I  immediately  saw  an  innumer- 
able quantity  of  crabs  running  in  all  directions — making 
for  their  burrows — alarmed  at  our  approach  and  the 
sound  of  footsteps ;  and  as  they  ran  they  displa}'ed  the 
two  large  claws  with  which  they  were  ready  to  bite  any 


88  LOST  IN  THE  JUNGLE. 

one  bold  enough  to  seize  them.  The  ground  was  cover* 
ed  with  an  incredible  number  oi  burrows. 

These  land-crabs  are  curious  creatures.  They  are 
found  in  various  parts  of  the  world,  and  Equatorial 
Africa  has  a  fair  share  of  them,  in  goodly  variety.  The 
natives  have  any  number  of  wonderful  tales  to  tell  about 
the  ogombons. 

There  was  a  wild  shout  of  joy  among  the  people  at 
having  come  to  the  right  spot.  The  baskets  were  im- 
mediately opened,  the  short  heavy  sticks  and  cutlasses 
were  got  in  readiness,  and  we  scattered  all  over  the 
thickly-wooded  island,  for  it  was  an  island  where  only 
mangrove  grew.  Not  far  from  the  island  I  could  see 
huge  hippopotami  playing  in  the  river,  but  we  had  taken 
it  into  our  heads  to  come  down  the  river  and  make  a 
great  haul  of  these  crustacese. 

There  was,  as  I  have  said,  a  general  skedaddle  of 
crabs,  for  at  the  least  noise  they  ran  away,  having  a 
counterpart  in  the  women,  who  ran  to  and  fro  with  great 
shouts,  which  were  soon  taken  up  by  the  men,  in  their 
wild  excitement  after  land-crabs. 

These  crabs  were  of  tremendous  size,  and  were  the 
real  ogombons,  the  largest  species  found  in  the  country, 
and  the  only  ones  the  natives  will  eat.  They  were  gray, 
almost  of  the  color  of  the  mud  on  which  they  walk. 
They  were  armed  with  tremendous  claws,  which  warned 
us  to  be  very  careful  in  handling  them,  or  we  should  get 
a  good  bite. 

This  island  was  celebrated  as  the  home  of  the  ogom- 
bons, and  the  whole  of  that  part  on  which  we  landed 
was  entirely  covered  with  their  burrows,  which  were  in 
many  places  BO  thick  and  so  close  together  as  to  com 


THE  CLAWS  NOD  STRANGELJ.  89 

municate  with  each  other.  In  these  retreats  the  crabs 
remain  in  darkness.  They  never  venture  far  from  home. 
How  Master  Land-Crab  knows  his  own  habitation  from 
those  of  his  neighbor  I  can  not  tell,  but  now  and  then 
he  would  make  a  mistake  and  go  into  "  somebody  else's 
nouse,"  thus  getting  into  the  wrong  box. 

At  this  time  of  the  year  the  land-crabs  were  fat,  but 
the  shells  were  somewhat  hard,  but  not  so  hard  as  later 
in  the  season,  when  the  crab  is  left  to  himself,  not  being 
so  good  to  eat.  Hence,  in  the  season,  land-crab  parties 
start  from  every  village  for  the  spots  where  they  are  to 
be  found. 

When  the  crabs  are  ready  to  cast  off  their  shells,  they 
shut  themselves  up  in  their  burrow,  which  they  have 
stocked  with  leaves,  closing  the  entrance  with  mud,  and 
they  remain  there  until  their  new  armor  is  on.  After 
quitting  its  old  armor  a  crab  is  very  soft,  but  in  course 
of  time  the  new  shell  becomes  hard,  even  harder  than 
the  preceding  one.  I  was  never  able  to  ascertain  the 
age  a  land-crab  could  attain. 

So  we  were  racing  in  every  direction  after  the  land- 
crabs,  which  fled  with  the  utmost  speed  for  their  bur- 
rows. Now  and  then  one  would  be  caught.  We  had  to 
be  very  light  of  foot  when  approaching  them,  for  at  the 
least  noise  they  would  go  and  hide  in  their  dark  abodes. 

Of  the  two  large  claws,  one  was  a  tremendous  thing, 
and  it  was  amusing  to  watch  the  crabs  walking  leisurely 
round  their  holes,  as  if  there  was  no  foe  in  their  neigh- 
borhood, but  yet  holding  up  one  of  the  large  claws  as  if 
they  were  ready  for  any  thing  that  might  come  along. 
This  claw  nodded  backward  and  forward  in  a  very  com- 
ical manner. 


00  LOST  IN  THE  JUNGLE. 

I  approached  one  very  big  fellow  without  his  having 
perceived  me,  and,  before  he  was  aware,  I  laid  my  stick 
heavily  on  his  back,  and  then  seized  him  with  my  hand, 
to  place  him  in  the  basket  which  hung  at  my  side.  I 
roared  out  with  pain,  for  he  had  got  hold  of  one  of  my 
fingers  with  its  large  claw,  and  shook  it  as  if  he  would 
have  torn  it  off.  With  my  other  hand  I  quickly  seized 


CATCHING   THE  OGOMBON8. 


the  crab  and  twisted  the  claws  from  the  body,  which  i 
thought  would  release  me ;  but  lo !  although  the  body 
lay  on  the  ground,  the  rascally  claws  gripped  harder  than 
ever.  Oh !  oh  !  oh ! ! !  I  shouted — which  cries  brought 
two  or  three  of  the  women  to  my  assistance.  The  mus- 
cles of  the  claws  had  retained  their  contractile  power 
after  they  were  separated  from  the  body. 


J  CAPTURE  A  LAND- CRAB.  91 

In  the  mean  time  the  rascal  had  retired  into  his  bur- 
row, no  doubt  in  a  good  deal  of  pain,  but  saying  to  him- 
self, "  What  do  I  care ;  a  new  limb  will  soon  come  out !" 
for  among  the  crustacese  such  is  the  case — a  new  limb 
soon  springs  out,  and  takes  the  place  of  the  one  lost ;  sc 
I  was  left  without  my  prize.  The  women  again  warned 
me  to  be  very  careful,  instructing  me  how  to  catch  crabs 
by  seizing  the  big  claw  and  severing  it  from  the  body ; 
but,  before  doing  this,  the  stick  must  be  placed  on  the 
middle  of  the  back,  where  the  claws  can  not  reach,  as 
they  can  not  move  backward. 

I  soon  spied  another  crab,  but  he  heard  my  footstep, 
and  with  the  utmost  speed  made  for  his  burrow.  Then 
I  came  suddenly  upon  another,  just  in  front  of  me;  he 
had  not  time  to  turn  round ;  so,  shoving  my  stick  in  front 
of  him  until  it  nearly  touched  his  two  big  eyes,  I  put  him 
into  a  furious  rage.  By-and-by  he  managed  to  seize  the 
stick,  which  he  shook,  just  as  the  other  crab  had  done  my 
linger.  I  was  thankful  that  it  was  not  my  finger  this 
time.  The  motion  of  the  claw  at  the  junction  with  the 
body  was  very  queer.  After  some  trouble,  I  managed  to 
secure  this  fellow.  Then  I  went  after  another,  which  at 
once  took  to  his  burrow  and  disappeared ;  but  I  was  de- 
termined to  watch  and  wait  for  him.  I  noticed  him  ev- 
ery now  and  then  peering  slyly  out,  drawing  in  his  head 
at  the  slightest  noise ;  so  I  hid  behind  his  burrow,  and 
kept  very  still.  At  last  he  came  out,  walking  slowly  from 
his  hole.  I  put  rny  foot  on  his  burrow,  upon  which  he 
turned  round,  and  ran  one  way  and  then  another,  and 
finally  made  for  another  burrow,  where  he  met  the  pos- 
sessor coming  out  from  his  "  castle,'1  when  a  general  fight 
of  claws  ensued.  The  aggressor,  being  the  stronger,  sr.c- 


92  LOST  IN  THE  JUNGLE. 

ceeded  in  winning  the  battle  and  getting  in,  while  the 
other,  in  his  fright,  plunged  into  a  burrow  the  owner  of 
which  had  probably  been  killed  that  morning. 

Great  slaughter  of  the  crabs  had  already  taken  place, 
and  so  many  heavy,  fat  fellows  had  been  captured  that 
we  were  sure  of  a  great  feast.  It  was  well  for  us  that  it 
was  so,  for  at  last  the  ogombons  got  thoroughly  fright- 
ened and  remained  in  their  burrows ;  not  one  was  to  be 
seen ;  so,  after  having  captured  some  thousands  of  them, 
we  got  back  into  our  canoes  and  ascended  the  river  again. 

The  ogombons  are  peculiar.  I  think  they  never  go  to 
the  sea,  but  deposit  their  eggs  on  the  shores  of  the  isl- 
and, for  I  never  met  them  on  the  sea-coast.  They  feed 
on  all  kinds  of  refuse,  on  black  mud,  leaves,  berries,  etc., 
etc.  The  crabs  found  on  the  main  land  are  not  eaten, 
the  natives  believing  that  they  sometimes  visit  their  cem- 
eteries. On  the  white  sand  of  the  sea-shore  are  found 
innumerable  little  crabs  of  the  same  color  as  the  sand  it- 
self. 

Besides  the  ogombons  there  are  many  other  land-crabs, 
but  they  are  much  smaller,  and  are  not  eaten  by  the  na- 
tives. Many  of  these  crabs  are  of  the  most  gorgeous  col- 
ors, some  purple  and  red,  others  blue  and  red ;  they  are 
exceedingly  wild,  and  swift  of  foot.  They  live  close  te 
the  sea,  and  may  be  seen  on  the  shore  in  great  numbers 
during  the  night. 

I  wish  I  had  had  time  to  spare  to  study  these  craba 
more  thoroughly  than  I  have  done,  but  I  have  told  you 
the  little  I  know  about  them. 

As  we  returned  we  had  to  pass  through  the  midst  of 
the  tremendous  herd  of  hippopotami  which  I  have  men- 
tioned. For  years  that  herd  had  taken  possession  of  an 


PADDLING  AMONG  HIPPOPOTAMI.  93 

immense  mud-bank  lying  between  the  island  and  the 
main  ;and,  or  rather  the  tongue  of  land  which  separated 
the  sea  from  the  River  Fernand  Yaz. 

The  hippopotami  began  to  grunt,  and  plunged  into  the 
water,  remaining  there  for  some  time,  and  then  would 
come  again  to  the  surface,  until  gradually  the  navigation 
became  dangerous,  so  much  so  that  we  had  to  be  very 
careful,  and  paddle  along  the  shore  for  fear  of  being  up- 
set by  these  huge  creatures,  who  would  surge  from  under 
the  water  in  every  direction,  and  we  knew  not  where  the 
next  one  would  rise.  Two  or  three  times  one  rose  very 
near  my  canoe.  I  did  not  want  to  fire  at  them,  for  they 
would  have  sunk  to  the  bottom,  and  would  not  have  risen 
for  two  or  three  days  after,  and  then  probably  they  would 
have  been  found  at  the  mouth  of  the  river,  or  been  driv- 
en into  the  sea  by  the  current.  By  the  kind  of  groan  or 
hoarse  grunt  they  gave,  I  made  up  my  mind  that  they 
were  becoming  enraged  at  having  been  disturbed,  so  we 
paddled  carefully  on  until  I  thought  we  were  at  last  out 
of  their  reach.  But  we  were  to  receive  a  good  fright  be- 
fore we  had  done  with  them,  for  I  saw  a  canoe  just  ahead 
of  the  one  in  which  I  was  seated  rocking  and  jerking 
about  in  an  extraordinary  manner,  and  the  people  in  it 
shouting  at  the  top  of  their  voices,  and  there  came  up  a 
huge  hippopotamus,  which  gave  a  terrific  grunt,  immedi- 
ately responded  to  by  the  other  hippopotami  we  had  left 
behind.  We  paddled  hard  in  order  to  get  out  of  the 
way,  for  the  huge  creature  seemed  to  be  maddened ;  and 
at  last,  with  a  thankful  heart,  I  left  all  the  hippopotami 
behind,  and,  after  some  severe  paddling,  we  reached  a 
safe  place  on  the  bank  of  the  river,  where  a  general  and 
grand  cooking  of  the  crabs  began. 


CHAPTEK  XII. 

STRANGE     SPIDERS. THE    HOUSE-SPIDER. HOW    THEY    CAP- 

TURE   THEIR  PREY. HOW  THEY  FIGHT. FIGHT  BETWEEN 

A  WASP  AND  A   SPIDER. — THE    SPIDER  HAS    ITS   LEGS  CUT 

OFF,  AND  IS  CARRIED   AWAY. BURROW  SPIDER  WATCHING 

FOR  ITS  PREY. 

Now  I  must  pause  a  little  in  that  great  jungle,  and  re- 
count to  you  some  of  the  queer  things  which  I  have  seen 
among  the  spiders — the  burrowing  spiders,  the  house-spi- 
ders, the  wall-spiders,  and  the  spiders  which  weave  their 
big  and  far-spreading  webs  among  the  trees  of  the  forest 
or  the  tall  grass  of  the  open  fields.  I  hope  you  will  feel 
as  interested  as  I  did  when  you  learn  how  smart  many 
of  them  are. 

There  are  a  very  great  variety  of  spiders  in  the  coun- 
try I  have  explored.  Some  are  of  queer  shape.  Each 
species  has  its  peculiar  habits.  I  often  wish  I  had  de- 
voted more  of  my  time  to  the  study  of  their  habits,  and 
to  ascertaining  the  way  in  which  they  catch  their  prey; 
but  what  I  have  observed  I  will  relate  to  you.  I  will 
speak  to  you  first  of  the  house-spiders,  and  what  I  saw  of 
them. 

In  many  of  the  little  huts  where  I  lived,  the  walls  of 
which  were  made  of  the  bark  of  trees,  there  were  always 
several  house-spiders,  which  I  took  good  care  not  to  kill, 
for  they  were  seemingly  inoffensive,  only  they  were  great 
enemies  to  the  cockroaches,  insects,  and  flies.  Sometimes 
in  the  evening,  when  I  laid  down  on  my  acoco  (bed  of 


BATTLE  BETWEEN  A  SPIDER  AND  A  COCKROACH.       95 

sticks),  by  the  light  of  a  torch  my  eyes  would  rest  upon 
the  wall,  and  I  would  see  emerging  from  some  crack  a 
queer-looking  gray  spider,  and  now  and  then  cockroaches, 
which  swarm  in  the  African  huts,  or  some  other  kind 
of  insect,  would  come  out  on  the  walls.  Then  the  spider 
would  slyly  advance  toward  the  insect,  taking  great  care 
to  approach  it  from  behind,  in  order  not  to  be  seen  by 
the  unsuspecting  victim,  with  which  it  is  soon  to  engage 
in  a  deadly  struggle,  for  the  spider  is  brave  and  vora- 
cious, and  is  not  to  be  easily  frightened  by  the  size  of 
its  antagonist. 

These  house-spiders  are  of  a  dull  gray,  which  color  as- 
sists in  concealing  its  approach.  After  leaving  its  lair 
and  getting  a  good  position,  it  remains  perfectly  rigid 
and  motionless,  often  for  half  an  hour,  waiting  for  some 
unlucky  cockroach  to  pass  by.  At  last  the  cockroach 
rushes  past.  In  an  instant  the  spider,  with  great  im- 
petuosity, pounces  upon  him.  Then  ensues  a  tug  and  a 
battle  which  is  of  great  interest — a  conflict  for  life  on 
the  part  of  the  cockroach,  a  combat  for  food  on  the  part 
of  the  spider,  which  for  the  time  seems  more  voracious 
and  ferocious  than  a  tiger  or  leopard.  The  battle  is  oft- 
en prolonged  for  more  than  half  an  hour.  The  great 
black  African  cockroach  grows  to  a  large  size,  and  is  a 
very  strong  and  formidable  opponent  for  the  spider. 
The  latter,  after  pouncing  on  its  victim,  fastens  on  its 
back,  and,  to  prevent  being  borne  off,  clings  with  two  of 
his  hairy  hind  legs,  which  seem  to  have  little  hooks,  to 
the  floor  or  to  the  wall.  All  the  cockroach's  endeavors 
and  frantic  exertions  are  to  escape.  He  tugs  and  jerks, 
and  generally  succeeds  at  first  in  dragging  its  enemy  off 
ior  aooie  distance.  The  desperate  struggle  goes  on,  the 


96  LOST  IN  THE  JUNGLE, 

spider  using  all  its  power  and  strength.  It  manages 
again  to  get  a  hold  with  its  feet.  At  last  it  succeeds  in 
fastening  its  head  on  the  body  of  the  cockroach,  and  be- 
gins sucking  away  at  the  juices  of  the  latter,  which,  at 
the  pain  of  the  first  bite,  makes  the  greatest  efforts  to  es- 
cape, for  it  knows  that  the  deadly  struggle  has  begun. 
Then  there  would  be  a  tremendous  fight.  I  sometimes 
thought  the  cockroach  would  escape,  both  being  exhaust- 
ed. Then  would  come  a  pause.  Presently  the  struggle 
would  recommence,  the  spider  sucking  away  all  the  time, 
and  the  poor  cockroach  at  last  succumbing,  whereupon 
his  enemy  drags  off  the  body  to  some  corner  or  hiding- 
place  where  it  can  be  devoured  at  leisure. 

Once  in  the  daytime,  a  few  days  after  seeing  the  fight 
I  have  been  describing  to  you,  I  saw  the  same  spider,  for 
I  knew  its  place  of  hiding,  come  out  after  an  insect.  It 
was  creeping  slowly  toward  its  prey,  when  a  wasp — one 
of  those  beautiful,  long-legged,  and  slender  wasps,  with 
striped  bodies,  which  are  so  common  here — came  to  at- 
tack the  spider.  Quickly  she  flew  over  the  spider,  her 
long  legs  hanging  down  and  plying  between  the  legs  oE 
the  poor  spider,  who  \vas  now  in  as  bad  a  plight  as  the 
cockroach  was  a  few  days  before.  In  this  latter  case, 
cunning  instead  of  strength  was  to  be  used. 

The  wasp  kept  flying  above  the  spider,  moving  her  long 
legs  with  great  rapidity  between  the  legs  of  the  spider, 
while  her  head  was  touching  that  of  her  opponent,  and 
giving  a  bite  from  time  to  time.  Then  the  spider  tried 
to  run  away,  but  could  not,  for  the  long  legs  of  the  wasp 
moved  between  his  legs  in  a  backward  sort  of  a  way, 
which  prevented  the  spider  from  advancing.  The  wasp 
all  the  time  was  hovering  above  the  spider  with  very 


TEE  WASP  IS  VICTORIOUS.  97 

quick  motions,  her  legs  moving  so  fast  that  I  could  not 
see  all  their  movements.  Suddenly  the  wasp  turned 
round,  and  put  her  head  down  close  to  the  right  front 
leg  of  the  spider,  to  which  it  gave  one  or  two  bites,  just 
where  it  is  joined  to  the  body,  and  the  leg  dropped  down; 
then  she  worked  away  at  the  head  for  a  few  seconds,  then 
again  turned  round  and  gave  a  bite  or  two  to  the  leg 
next  to  the  one  that  had  just  been  cut,  and  this  dropped 
down  also.  I  had  never  seen  any  thing  fly  so  fast.  At 
last  the  poor  spider  seemed  perfectly  stunned ;  he  could 
hardly  move.  I  considered  the  fight  over,  and  that  the 
wasp  was  victor.  Another  leg  dropped  down,  and  then 
another,  all  being  cut  just  where  they  are  attached  to 
the  body,  till  at  last  they  were  all  cut  down.  When  the 
last  hind  leg  dropped,  the  wasp  seized  the  body  of  the 
spider,  and  flew  away  outside  of  my  little  hut  to  devour  it. 

I  missed  my  spider  very  much  afterwards,  and  the 
cockroaches  had  their  own  way  for  a  few  days  without 
fear  of  being  devoured,  till  another  house-spider  made 
its  appearance. 

In  one  of  my  little  huts  there  were  other  species  of  spi- 
der besides  the  one  I  have  spoken  to  you  about,  whose  little 
webs  would  be  built  in  places  where  they  would  be  most 
apt  to  entangle  the  flies.  After  these  had  been  caught,  the 
spider  would  immediately  come  out  and  suck  their  blood. 
However  small  the  fly  might  be,  the  spider  would  come, 
and  even  when  only  a  musquito  had  been  taken,  it  would 
come,  but  it  would  give  only  one  or  two  sucks,  and  then 
would  go  away.  You  will  agree  that  there  must  be  very 
little  to  suck  out  of  a  musquito  that  has  not  been  feed- 
ing on  a  human  being. 

In  the  tall  grass  which  sometimes  grows  round  the 
7 


U8  LOST  IN  THE  JUNGLE. 

village,  or  in  the  large  open  spaces  where  trees  havs 
been  cut  down,  there  is  found  a  tremendous  big  bright 
yellow  and  black  spider,  whose  web  spreads  over  a  space 
of  several  feet,  and  so  thick  and  strong  is  it  that,  when  I 
have  got  entangled  in  one,  I  could  certainly  feel  a  slight 
impediment  to  my  walk,  or  the  moving  of  my  arm.  The 
threads  of  the  web  are  yellow,  the  same  color  as  one 
part  of  the  spider.  This  spider  belongs  probably  to  the 
genus  Mygale.  Some  of  them  grow  to  be  of  immense 
size ;  I  have  frequently  seen  them  with  a  body  as  large 
as  a  sparrow's  egg. 

Happily,  the  bite  of  this  spider  is  not  dangerous,  for 
one  day,  as  I  was  pursuing  a  bird  and  was  in  the  midst 
of  a  lot  of  grass,  the  blades  of  which  stuck  to  my  skin 
and  cut  me  like  a  razor,  and  I  was  watching  and  pursu- 
ing the  bird  in  order  not  to  lose  sight  of  it,  I  got  entan- 
gled in  one  of  these  big  webs — by  far  the  biggest  web 
built  by  any  spider  I  have  ever  heard  of.  I  looked 
round  to  see  and  get  out  of  the  spider's  way,  but  before 
I  was  aware  I  got  a  bite  which  was  almost  as  painful  as 
the  sting  of  a  scorpion.  In  my  fright  I  tumbled  down. 
I  had  no  ammonia  with  me,  consequently  I  returned  at 
once  to  the  village,  where  I  had  some,  but  by  the  time  I 
reached  home  I  felt  no  ill  effect,  the  pain  having  left  me 
a  few  minutes  after  the  bite. 

These  big  spiders  are  said  by  the  natives  to  make 
these  large,  spreading  webs  in  order  to  catch  little  birds, 
the  blood  of  which  they  suck.  I  never  saw  a  bird 
caught,  nor  even  any  remains  of  feathers  in  the  web,  but 
from  the  strength  of  the  web  I  am  certain  that  many  lit- 
tle birds,  if  once  caught,  could  not  get  out,  and  that  this 
big  epider  is  fully  equal  to  mastering  little  birds,  for  its 


NOW  THE  SPIDER  COMES. 


99 


BIT  BY  A  BPIDEE. 


strength  must  be  very  great  if  it  is  as  strong  in  propor- 
tion to  its  size  as  other  spiders  are. 

At  any  rate,  if  birds  are  caught  in  their  webs,  it  must 
be  very  seldom.  But  if  their  webs  do  not  catch  birds, 
they  are  tremendous  traps  for  flies,  wasps,  beetles,  and 
insects  of  all  kinds ;  for  I  have  never  long  watched  one 
of  them  without  seeing  some  living  thing  of  one  kind 
or  another  caught,  and  then  immediately  the  big,  long- 
legged  spider  would  come  swiftly  and  suck  the  blood  of 
the  victim ;  two  or  three  suckings  would  finish  up  a  com- 
mon black  fly.  They  are  very  voracious,  and  attack  the 
prey  with  great  vigor. 


100  L  OST  IN  THE  JUNGLE. 

They  must  like  the  powerful  sun,  for  many  of  thei* 
webs  are  built  in  the  open  spaces  where  Master  Sol  has 
his  own  way.  The  rain  cdn  not  incommode  them  as 
he  does  us. 

"When  one  of  these  webs  is  finished  it  will  remain  per- 
fect a  long  time ;  sometimes  it  will  stand  for  months  be- 
fore the  owner  begins  to  make  another. 

One  day  in  the  forest  I  spied  not  far  from  the  ground, 
just  by  an  old  dead  tree,  a  little  bit  of  a  long-legged  spi- 
der waging  a  terrible  conflict  with  a  caterpillar,  which, 
without  exaggeration,  must  have  been  at  least  thirty  or 
forty  times  larger  than  the  body  of  the  little,  slender, 
and  long-legged  spider.  I  immediately  took  from  my 
pocket  my  magnifying-glass,  in  order  to  see  better ;  then 
saw,  about  four  inches  from  the  ground,  spreading  from 
under  the  dead  branch  of  the  tree,  several  threads  of  a 
web  which  hung  down,  embracing  a  space  of  four  or 
five  inches,  and  ending  in  one  thread  as  it  came  near  the 
caterpillar.  That  single  thread  was  entangled  in  the 
hair  of  the  caterpillar  and  round  its  neck,  and  the  cater- 
pillar hung  by  it.  The  end  of  his  body  scarcely  touched 
the  ground.  Then  there  was  a  desperate  struggle.  I 
suppose  the  caterpillar,  before  being  caught,  was  down 
on  the  ground  quietly  eating  some  leaves,  and  the  spider 
dropped  down  upon  it  like  a  wild  beast  would  pounce 
upon  its  prey. 

I  lay  flat  on  the  ground  to  look  at  the  conflict.  This 
time  the  long  legs  of  the  spider  were  of  the  same  use  to 
it  as  were  those  of  the  wasp  in  the  other  fight  I  have 
related. 

For  a  long  while  there  was  a  great  struggle,  the  cater- 
pillar shaking  and  turning  round  and  round  as  it  hung 


CATERPILLAR  ATTACKED  BY  A  SPIDER.  1Q1 

by  that  single  thread ;  often  its  body  would  twist  into  a 
circle,  the  end  touching  the  head,  when  suddenly,  at  one 
of  these  twists,  the  spider,  by  some  dexterous  movements, 
spun  one  of  its  threads  round  the  caterpillar,  binding  the 
tail  to  the  head.  The  caterpillar,  by  a  desperate  effort, 
broke  the  thread,  and  freed  the  lower  part  of  its  body. 
The  spider  was  so  small  that  I  had  to  use  the  magnify- 
ing-glass  all  the  time  in  order  to  watch  its  movements. 
At  first  the  attention  of  the  spider  was  entirely  engaged 
In  securing  its  prey.  When  the  caterpillar  was  strug- 
gling hard  to  disentangle  itself,  it  would  come  down 
and  spin  thread  after  thread  round  the  hairy  body  of  its 
victim,  and  then  unite  them  to  the  single  thread. 

Now  and  then,  with  its  pincers,  which  appeared 
through  the  magnifying-glass  to  be  very  large  in  com- 
parison with  the  size  of  the  body,  it  would  try  to  cut  the 
large  pincers  of  the  caterpillar.  The  end  of  its  long 
legs,  as  they  came  round  the  head  and  eyes  of  the  cater- 
pillar, seemed  to  annoy  it  terribly,  to  judge  by  the  strug- 
gles of  the  worm.  At  last  the  spider  succeeded  in  seiz- 
ing the  base  of  the  right  pincer  of  the  caterpillar,  and 
tried  to  cut  it,  but  in  vain.  In  less  than  fifteen  seconds 
it  returned  to  the  task,  and  went  at  the  left  pincer,  but 
with  apparently  no  better  success.  Then,  after  a  while, 
its  attacks  were  directed  to  a  spot  between  the  pincers. 
He  kept  at  it  and  kept  at  it,  apparently  sucking  the 
blood,  till  finally,  after  thirty-seven  minutes  of  deadly 
conflict,  the  caterpillar,  a  mammoth  in  comparison  with 
the  size  of  the  spider,  hung  dead.  Then  the  spider  fin- 
ished sucking  the  blood  of  its  victim.  While  the  spider 
was  carrying  on  this  deadly  combat,  it  did  not  mind  me 
Mien  I  touched  its  web  with  a  little  stick:  it  would  just 


102  L  OST  IN  THE  JUNGLE. 

ascend  the  single  thread  by  which  it  was  suspended,  and 
then,  within  a  few  seconds,  would  return  to  the  fight. 
After  the  caterpillar  had  been  killed,  when  I  touched 
the  web  it  would  go  up,  and  remain  there  for  a  long 
time — three  or  four  minutes — before  it  came  down.  Fi- 
nally I  took  hold  of  the  caterpillar ;  down  came  the  spi- 
der, and  with  him  part  of  his  web.  The  spider  ran 
along  the  ground  for  a  few  inches,  then  suddenly  rolled 
itself  into  a  ball  and  lay  apparently  dead,  the  legs  being 
twisted  round  the  body.  It  appeared  to  me  that  the  spi- 
der thought  a  wasp  was  going  to  attack  it,  and  thus  pro- 
tected itself. 

After  a  little  while  I  came  to  look  at  the  poor  dead 
caterpillar,  and  saw  a  few  ants  hard  at  work  carrying  it 
off  somewhere  to  be  devoured. 

Among  the  great  many  species  of  spiders  there  are 
some  which  are  very  curious.  Among  the  most  remark- 
able are  those  which  burrow  holes  in  the  ground  and 
live  in  them.  These  ground-spiders  are  short,  and  have 
powerful  fangs  and  legs. 

Several  species  of  spiders  have  short  legs,  and  flat,  oval 
bodies,  surrounded  by  pointed  spurs,  looking,  when  taken 
from  their  webs,  more  like  bugs  than  veritable  spiders. 

The  cave  in  which  the  burrow  spiders  live  is  but  a 
few  inches  long,  built  in  the  shape  of  a  tube,  from  the 
opening  of  which  they  watch  for  their  prey.  The  inte- 
rior of  the  burrow  is  like  felt,  and  is  so  arranged  that  it 
forms  a  tunnel  that  prevents  the  earth  from  falling  in. 

Some  of  the  burrow  spiders  are  called  trap-door  spi- 
ders, on  account  of  the  curious  way  in  which  the  entrance 
of  their  abode  is  guarded.  A  trap-door  closes  the  en- 
trance. This  door  is  made  of  the  same  material  as  the 


THE  BURROW  SPIDER.  10$ 

interior  of  the  tube,  to  which  it  is  attached  by  a  kind  of 
hinge,  by  which  it  falls  squarely  upon  it.  This  trap-door  i» 
made  to  protect  the  spider  from  its  enemies,  among  which 
are  wasps  and  many  species  of  ants.  These  latter  some- 
times  make  short  work  of  a  spider. 

This  door  is  a  marvel;  the  outside  is  generally  cov- 
ered with  earth  similar  in  color  to  the  ground  by  which 
it  is  surrounded,  thus  rendering  it  difficult  to  find  the 
burrow. 

Trap-door  spiders  are  found  in  many  parts  of  the  world. 

But  many  species  of  spiders  live  in  burrows  that  have 
no  doors. 

Some  of  these  burrow  spiders  go  out  at  night  as  well 
as  in  the  daytime,  but  they  hardly  ever  move  far  from 
their  burrows.  I  have  often  seen  them  watching  from 
the  entrance  of  their  caves  for  prey.  How  queer  they 
look !  They  must  have  a  wonderful  sense  of  hearing, 
for  at  the  least  noise  they  run  back  inside  of  their  bur- 
rows. They  seem  to  know  when  the  noise  does  not  come 
from  an  enemy,  but  from  some  insect  upon  which  they 
intend  to  prey.  One  day  one  of  these  burrow  spiders 
was  watching  for  its  food,  when  suddenly  it  pounced 
upon  a  big  caterpillar  which  had  made  its  appearance, 
and,  after  a  desperate  struggle,  the  poor  caterpillar  was 
carried  into  the  burrow,  though  still  alive. 

After  half  an  hour  I  carefully  demolished  the  burrow, 
and  found  the  spider  at  the  bottom ;  the  caterpillar  was 
partly  devoured,  and  I  saw  the  remains  of  legs,  wings, 
and  heads  of  insects  which  had  been  captured  and  eaten 
up.  I  took  the  spider  out ;  it  seemed  stupefied,  and 
walked  to  and  fro  as  if  it  did  not  know  where  to  go. 

When  once  a  spider  has  built  its  burrow  it  dwells  in  it 


104:  LOST  IN  THE  JUNGLE. 

for  a  long  time.  These  burrows  are  built  in  such  a  man« 
ner  that  when  it  rains  the  water  can  not  get  in. 

Have  you  ever  thought,  when  looking  at  the  web  of  a 
spider,  what  an  admirable  piece  of  work  it  is,  and  how 
this  thread  is  manufactured?  No  lace  is  more  beauti- 
fully worked.  The  thread  is  formed  by  a  semi-liquid 
'secretion,  which  comes  out,  at  the  will  of  the  spider, 
through  minute  apertures,  and  which  hardens  into  a 
thread  by  contact  with  the  atmosphere. 

How  strange  that  is ! 

Spiders  must  have  a  great  amount  of  knowledge,  and 
are,  no  doubt,  good  barometers,  for  when  a  storm  is  im- 
pending they  never  will  build  or  mend  a  web.  There  is 
a  good  reason  for  their  not  being  extravagant  in  the  use 
of  their  silk,  for,  although  they  can  use  at  their  will  the 
secretion  from  which  the  thread  is  made,  it  requires  time 
to  reproduce  it ;  so  when  you  see  a  spider  spinning  new 
webs,  it  is  a  sign  of  fine  weather  coming. 

If  you  look  closely  at  the  web  of  a  spider,  you  will  sure- 
ly be  surprised  at  their  wonderful  skill.  First  a  net-work 
of  strong  threads  is  built;  these  are  the  main- beams,  and 
between  them  the  net  made  of  smaller  thread  is  spun. 
These  webs  are  exceedingly  elastic,  for  they  have  to  re- 
sist the  power  of  the  wind.  When  the  web  has  been  long 
built,  and  has  become  stretched,  they  will  sometimes  go 
and  fetch  a  little  piece  of  wood,  which  they  hang  by  a 
thread,  and  haul  it  to  a  spot  where  they  think  it  will 
steady  their  structure. 

The  threads  of  spiders  are  produced  from  an  organ 
called  the  "  spinneret,"  which  is  placed  at  the  extremity 
of  the  body.  The  spinnerets  are  arranged  in  pairs,  and 
are  four,  six,  or  eight  in  number. 


HOW  A  SPIDER  WORKS.  105 

The  spider  generally  works  at  its  web  with  its  head 
down,  lowering  itself  by  its  thread.  The  whole  is  work* 
ed  by  the  sense  of  touch,  the  threads  being  guided  by 
one  of  the  hind  legs.  If  you  take  the  trouble  to  watch  a 
spider  working,  you  will  see  it  work  just  as  I  have  de- 
scribed. 

The  serai-liquid  secretion  is  forced  out  through  very 
small  apertures,  which  may  be  called  miniature  tubes ; 
they  look  very  much  like  very  minute  hairs.  These  tubes 
cover  the  spinnerets,  which  are  externally  like  little 
rounded  projections,  but  their  shape  is  not  always  the 
same.  The  threads  become  quite  strong,  for  after  leav- 
ing the  tubes  they  are  united  together,  and  hence  are 
much  stronger  than  if  the  thread  was  composed  of  a  sin- 
gle strand. 


CHAPTEE  XHL 

*TE    CONTINUE    OUR    WANDERINGS. JOINED    BY    ETIA. WB 

STARVE. GAMBO  AND  ETIA  GO  IN  SEARCH  OF  BERRIES. 

A  HERD  OF  ELEPHANTS. THE  ROGUE  ELEPHANT  CHARGES 

ME. HE    IS    KILLED. HE    TUMBLES    DOWN    NEAR    ME. 

STORY   OF   REDJIOUA. 

Now  we  have  left  the  land  crabs  and  the  spiders,  let 
us  continue  our  wanderings  in  the  jungle.  I  am  ran- 
sacking the  forest  to  discover  and  understand  all  that  is 
in  it.  We  had  a  lot  of  fun  at  that  time.  I  was  in  good 
health  and  spirits.  I  was  perhaps  a  little  reckless,  and 
did  not  seem  to  care  for  any  tiling.  When  there  was 
danger  in  an  undertaking,  I  frequently  did  not  think 
enough  about  it,  but  rather  took  delight  in  it,  scorpions, 
centipedes,  and  venomous  serpents  being  the  exception, 
for  I  rather  objected  to  them,  and  did  not  fancy  meeting 
them  in  my  hunt,  or  under  my  bed,  nor,  indeed,  any 
where  else.  Whenever  I  could,  I  killed  them  without 
mercy. 

I  delighted  to  sleep  under  the  trees,  in  the  midst  of 
the  thickest  part  of  the  forest,  and  where  savage  beasts 
were  plentiful.  In  that  case  I  always  kept  a  sharp  look- 
out, and  saw  that  our  fires  were  kept  blazing. 

Friend  Etia  had  come  to  meet  us,  and  was  going  to 
join  us  in  the  woods  for  a  few  days,  and  we  were  all  glad 
to  see  him.  One  day,  while  we  were  hunting,  we  came 
to  a  spot  where  large  quantities  of  fern  were  growing 


ELEPHANT  TEA  CKS  ARE  KEEN.  \  Q  7 

under  the  tall  trees,  and  we  saw  that  in  the  morning  a 
large  herd  of  elephants  had  been  there,  for  their  heavy 
footprints  were  strongly  marked  on  the  ground.  Im- 
mediately there  was  great  rejoicing,  for  we  knew  that 
the  elephants  could  not  be  far  off. 

How  eager  were  the  faces  of  Malaouen,  Querlaoueo, 
and  Gambo.  They  looked  at  their  guns  as  if  to  say,  "  I 
hope  you  will  help  me  to  kill  an  elephant."  The  guns  1 
gave  them  were  their  great  pets. 

Gambo  and  Etia  had  gone  away  through  the  jungle, 
and  were  to  remain  two  days  collecting  berries  and  nuts, 
and  then  they  were  to  come  back  to  us.  We  were  in 
a  sorry  plight — we  were  starving.  We  could  not  wait 
for  them,  for  fear  that,  while  waiting,  the  elephants 
would  move  off.  What  a  pity !  each  of  us  might  bag  an 
elephant.  By  the  way,  should  I  say  bag  ?  When  I  was 
a  boy  I  used  to  bag  squirrel ;  that  is  to  say,  put  them  in 
my  bag. 

It  was  about  three  o'clock  when  we  came  upon  the 
tracks  of  the  elephants.  What  a  number  of  them  must 
be  together !  "  There  must  be  at  least  twenty,"  whisper- 
ed Malaouen.  "  There  must  be  at  least  thirty,"  said 
Querlaouen.  Malaouen  insisted  there  were  only  twen- 
ty. Then  I  had  my  say,  and  I  said  I  thought  there  were 
about  twenty-five.  We  tracked  them  till  five  o'clock,  and 
then  concluded  that  we  had  better  have  our  camp  built 
where  we  were,  rather  than  go  too  near  to  them. 

Being  the  dry  season,  we  were  not  afraid  of  rain  or 
tornadoes,  so  we  chose  a  place  to  lie  down,  under  a  gi- 
gantic tree,  as  there  we  would  only  require  a  fire  in  front 
of  us,  our  backs  being  protected  by  the  tree,  and  the  leop- 
ards would  have  less  chance  at  us,  and  we  would  not 
have  to  build  so  many  fires.- 


108  I>08T  IN  THE  JUNGLE. 

In  the  evening  we  furbished  our  guns,  chose  the  steel- 
pointed  bullets  we  used  for  elephants,  and  then  went  to 
sleep  on  the  dry  ground. 

During  the  night  we  were  awakened  by  a  tremendous 
crashing  of  trees  all  round  us,  and  we  saw  elephants 
bounding  in  the  forest  like  wild  bulls,  tearing  every 
thing  before  them,  and  then  disappearing  through  the 
darkness.  They  seemed  perfectly  mad. 

Malaouen  shouted,  "  Chaillie !  the  bashikouays  are 
coming;  let  us  make  a  big  fire.  He  had  hardly  said 
this"  when  I  heard  the  tremendous  roar  of  a  male  gorilla, 
then  the  piercing  shrieks  of  his  female,  followed  by  the 
cries  of  a  young  gorilla. 

We  immediately  scattered  the  fire-wood  we  had  light- 
ed. It  was  high  time,  for  the  bashikouay  were  coming. 
The  insects  began  flying  over  our  heads.  Happily,  we 
were  in  the  midst  of  a  fortress  of  fire. 

In  less  than  half  an  hour  they  had  gone  on  their 
march,  and  the  forest  became  as  silent  as  the  night  itself. 

We  had  had  a  narrow  escape.     If  it  had  not  been  for 
the  timely  warning  of  the  elephants,  we  should  have  been 
obliged  to  clear  out  double-quick  through  that  jungle  in 
the  middle  of  the  night.     It  would  have  been  no  joke. 

"The  bashikouay  have  driven  away  every  thing  before 
them.  What  will  become  of  our  elephants?"  I  said. 
"  They  may  have  gone  a  great  distance,  and  it  may  take 
us  five  days  to  overtake  them.  I  wish  the  bashikouay 
had  gone  somewhere  else." 

We  went  to  sleep  again,  and  when  we  awoke  it  was 
broad  daylight.  The  birds  were  singing,  and  the  sun's 
rays  peeped  through  the  dark  foliage. 

I  was  really  annoyed,  for  I  was  sure  the  elephants  had 


MEET  TWENTY  ELEPHANTS.  109 

gone  a  long  way  off.  We  could  not  pursue  them,  I 
thought,  for  it  would  take  so  much  time  that  Etia  and 
Gambo  might  return  and  not  find  us.  Then  Malaoueu 
said  that  the  elephants  had  probably  gone  back  among 
the  ferns,  and  \ve  had  better  try  to  find  them  there.  He 
was  not  mistaken,  for  when  we  went  back  there  we  saw 
at  once  that  their  footsteps  were  in  that  direction. 

"VVe  traveled  slowly  in  the  dense  jungle,  now  and  then 
frightening  a  guinea-fowl.  At  other  times  we  would 
see  a  snake  running  away  before  us,  or  we  would  meet 
a  strange  insect  or  a  queer  butterfly.  Malaouen,  who 
this  time  walked  ahead  of  me,  suddenly  turned  round 
and  made  me  a  sign  to  stop,  and  then  he  came  near  me, 
his  feet  appearing  not  to  touch  the  ground ;  I  could  not 
hear  them.  He  whispered  to  me  the  word  njogoo  (ele- 
phant). I  started,  I  looked  round,  I  could  not  see  any, 
and  I  could  not  understand  how  Malaouen  could  have 
seen  them.  His  quick  ear  had  heard  the  sound  of  the 
footsteps  of  one.  We  advanced  carefully.  At  last  I 
saw  the  elephants  lying  quietly  on  the  ground.  I  count- 
ed twenty  of  the  huge  beasts,  and  among  them  I  recog- 
nized a  tremendous  bull  elephant.  What  a  sight  it  was  I 
On  a  sudden  the  elephants  got  up,  and  they  all  retreated 
slowly  through  the  forest,  with  the  exception  of  the  old 
bull,  who  stood  still.  I  think  I  still  see  him,  with  his 
long  ears,  his  big  tusks,  his  thick,  wrinkled  black  skin, 
covered  with  scattered  and  short  hair.  Malaouen  and  I 
lay  flat  on  the  ground,  as  flat  as  we  possibly  could.  It 
was  no  child's  play.  We  were  to  have  a  little  business 
to  transact  with  the  bull,  the  fighting  one  of  the  herd. 
If  \ve  missed  him  he  would  charge  us,  and,  what  made  it 
worse,  we  could  not  get  a  good  shot  at  the  huge  and  le- 


110  L  OST  IN  THE  JUNGLE. 

viathan-like  creature.  Presently  Malaonen  crawled  for. 
ward ;  I  lay  still.  How  he  could  crawl  without  making 
a  noise  I  could  not  tell,  but  he  did  it,  till  at  last  he  al- 
most came  under  the  elephant's  body.  The  elephant 
was  looking  toward  me,  and  Malaonen  had  succeeded  in 
approaching  from  behind.  I  was  thinking  that  if  Ma- 
laouen  did  not  kill  the  elephant  where  he  stood,  I  would 
run  the  risk  of  being  charged  by  him  and  trampled  to 
death,  unless  I  shot  the  beast  dead  upon  the  spot.  I  felt 
like  shouting  to  Malaouen  to  be  careful,  and  not  to  miss 
his  shot  at  the  elephant.  When  his  gun  rose,  it  rose 
slowly  but  surely ;  then  I  heard  a  tremendous  detona- 
tion, and  down  the  elephant  came  in  my  direction,  close 
upon  me.  I  fired,  and  the  monster  fell  just  in  front  of 
where  I  was  lying.  Three  or  four  yards  more,  and  he 
would  have  tumbled  down  upon  me,  and  probably  made 
a  pancake  of  your  friend.  Querlaouen  came  rushing  to 
the  rescue,  but  the  great  beast  lay  without  motion.  Quer- 
laouen had  killed  him.  I  had  shot  the  elephant  right  be- 
tween the  two  eyes,  which  is  not  a  good  spot,  while  Quer- 
laouen's  bullet  had  gone  right  into  his  body  through  the 
lower  part  of  the  belly. 

"We  looked  like  ants  by  the  side  of  that  huge  creature. 
"We  cut  his  tail  off,  and  then  returned  to  our  old  camp, 
which  was  not  far  distant,  where  we  were  to  meet  Etia 
and  Gambo. 

In  the  afternoon  they  came  in,  and  when  we  showed 
them  the  elephant's  tail  they  looked  at  us  with  amaze- 
ment, as  if  they  did  not  believe  their  own  eyes.  Then 
they  shouted,  "You  are  men!  you  are  men!"  They  were 
loaded  with  wild  nuts,  and  thus  we  were  to  have  plenty 
of  food  1 


.TH   OF   THK   BULL   KI-EPHJLKT. 


112  L  OST  IN  THE  JUNGLE. 

In  despite  of  my  best  endeavors  to  prevent  it,  there 
must  be  some  heathen  ceremonies  to  celebrate  our  vie* 
tory  over  the  elephant, 

The  hind  quarters  were  cut  off,  and,  with  a  piece  of  the 
flesh,  were  set  apart  and  carried  into  the  forest  for  the 
spirit  Alombo  to  feed  upon.  Then  my  men  muttered 
some  words  that  I  could  not  understand,  but  I  did  not 
care,  for  we  were  very  much  like  the  man  who,  when 
traveling  in  India,  received  an  elephant  as  a  present, 
and  did  not  know  what  to  do  with  it. 

The  next  day,  after  taking  as  much  elephant  meat  as 
we  could,  we  moved  away,  for  the  flies  were  coming 
pretty  thick ;  and  besides,  the  bashikouay  might  return 
again,  and  the  smell  would  not  be  of  the  pleasantest 
after  a  couple  of  days'  sojourn  by  the  body  of  the  dead 
elephant. 

So  we  started  for  another  part  of  the  forest,  and  built 
our  camp  several  miles  farther  to  the  north  of  the  place 
where  we  had  been.  Of  course  we  chose  a  spot  where 
there  was  a  beautiful  little  stream,  so  that  we  had  plenty 
of  good  water  to  drink.  The  next  morning  we  were  to 
go  hunting,  and  we  were  glad  to  be  all  together  again,  it 
was  so  nice.  We  busied  ourselves  smoking  our  elephant 
meat,  so  that  we  might  be  sure  of  having  food  for  a  good 
many  days,  though  we  should  not  find'  any  berries. 

We  furbished  our  guns,  and  had  a  real  nice  day  in  get- 
ting ready  for  some  grand  hunting.  Nothing  during  the 
night  disturbed  us,  and  the  next  morning  we  all  felt  strong 
and  refreshed.  Querlaouen  and  I  went  hunting  together, 
while  Malaouen  and  Gambo  went  off  in  another  direc- 
tion. 

We  were  really  lost  in  that  great  jungle,  and  yet  w$ 


THE  STOR  T  OF  REDJIO  UA.  113 

appeared  to  think  that  the  forest  belonged  to  us.  We 
were  to  come  back  toward  sundown ;  no  one  was  to 
camp  out  by  himself.  That  was  the  law  I  made  that 
day.  The  country  was  hilly,  and  under  the  tall  trees  the 
ground  was  covered  with  a  dense  jungle.  That  day  noth- 
ing was  seen,  and  toward  night  we  were  glad  to  rest  our 
weary  limbs  by  the  huge  pile  of  blazing  fire,  and  then  we 
went  to  sleep,  hoping  to  be  more  fortunate  the  next  time. 
Our  supper  was  composed  of  a  few  wild  berries,  but  chief- 
ly of  elephant  meat,  my  men  enjoying  the  elephant  mar- 
velously.  After  our  supper,  and  before  we  went  to  sleep, 
Querlaouen  got  up  and  said, "  Now  I  am  going  to  tell  you 
a  story." 

REDJIOUA,  A  KING.— AKENDA  MBANL 
"Long  ago,  long  before  our  fathers  lived,  in  a  far 
country  there  lived  a  king  called  Redjioua.  That  king 
had  a  daughter  called  Arondo.  Arondo  (sweetheart)  was 
beautiful — more  beautiful  than  all  the  girls  of  the  coun- 
try. Kedjioua  said  to  the  people, '  Though  a  man  would 
ask  my  daughter  in  marriage,  and  present  me  with  a 
great  many  slaves,  goats,  and  tusks  of  ivory,  so  that  he 
might  "  soften"  my  heart  to  have  her,  he  can  not  have 
her.  I  want  only  a  man  that  shall  agree  that,  when 
Arondo  will  be  ill,  he  must  be  ill  also ;  that  when  Aron- 
do dies,  he  must  die  also  the  same  day.' 

"Years  passed  by;  no  one  came  to  ask  Arondo  in 
marriage,  for  all  were  afraid  of  the  law  the  king  had 
made,  no  one  being  willing  to  die  when  she  died." 
I  questioned  Querlaouen, "  Did  Arondo  ever  marry  ?n 
"  Wait  a  little  while  and  you  will  hear,"  said  friend 
Querlaouen,  as  gently  as  he  could. 


H4  L  OST  IN  THE  JUNGLE. 

"  There  was  a  man  in  that  country  called  Akenda 
Mbani  (never  goes  twice  to  the  same  place)."  Many 
names  among  the  tribes  of  Equatorial  Africa  have  a 
meaning,  and  remember  that  Akenda  Mbani's  means 
"  Never  goes  twice  to  the  same  place." 

"  Akenda  Mbani  came  to  the  king  and  said  to  him,4 1 
come  to  marry  Arondo,  your  daughter,  the  one  you  have 
(tend  coni)  made  a  law  concerning ;  so  I  have  brought 
no  ivory,  or  slaves,  or  goats.  I  come  without  the  things, 
for  I  agree  to  die  when  Arondo  dies.' 

"  So  Redjioua  gave  his  beautiful  daughter,  the  pride 
of  his  heart,  the  loveliest  woman  of  his  dominion,  to 
Akenda  Mbani. 

"  Akenda  Mbani  was  a  great  hunter,  but,  as  his  name 
implied,  he  never  went  twice  to  the  same  place  in  the 
forest  to  hunt.  But  his  name  did  not  prevent  his  mov- 
ing about  his  own  village. 

"  After  he  had  married  Arondo,  he  went  hunting,  and 
one  day  he  killed  two  wild  boars,  after  which  exploit  he 
returned  to  the  village  of  his  father-in-law,  carrying  one 
of  the  boars  on  his  back.  He  went  to  Redjioua  and 
said,  'Father,  I  have  killed  two  wild  boars;  I  bring  you 
one.'  The  king  said, '  Thank  you,  my  son ;  go  and  fetch 
the  other/  Then  Akenda  Mbani  replied, '  When  I  was 
born,  my  father,  in  giving  me  my  name  of  Akenda  Mba- 
ni, gave  me  a  coni  (a  law)  never  to  go  twice  to  the  same 
place.'  So  the  other  wild  boar  was  lost,  as  no  one  could 
tell  where  it  was  to  be  found  in  the  forest. 

"  Then  he  went  hunting  again,  and  killed  two  ante- 
lopes. Of  course  Akenda  Mbani  said  he  could  not  go 
fetch  the  other." 

Then  Gambo  interrupted  the  story  by  saying,  "  Thft 


AKENDA  MBANI.  115 

king  knew  very  well  that  Akenda  Mbani  could  not  go 
twice  to  the  same  spot ;  why  did  he  ask  him  to  go  2" 

"  I  can  not  say  why,"  said  Querlaouen ;  "  I  tell  you 
the  story  as  it  has  come  to  us  from  our  forefathers." 

"  Shortly  afterward  Akenda  Mbaui  killed  two  beauti- 
ful bongos,  and  brought  one  back.  Then  the  people 
came  and  asked  him  to  show  them  the  way,  so  they 
might  fetch  the  other.  But  Akenda  Mbani  said, '  You 
know  that  if  we  do  not  keep  the  coni  our  father  gave 
us,  we  are  sure  to  die.  I  do  not  wish  to  die  for  a  bon- 
go, so  I  can  not  go.'  He  thus  went  shooting  month  after 
month,  but  would  never  go  back  tc  the  same  spot. 

"  One  fine  evening,  as  Akenda  Mbani  was  seated  in 
front  of  his  house,  the  people  came  to  him  and  said,  *  A 
people  called  Oroungous  have  come ;  they  have  come  to 
trade,  and  also  to  buy  ten  slaves/ 

"  Akenda  Mbani  turned  to  his  wife  and  said, e  Let  us 
go  and  meet  the  Oroungous,  who  are  still  in  their  canoe 
on  the  river-bank,  and  who  have  come  to  be  my  guests.' 

"  Then  they  went  and  met  the  Oroungous.  Akenda 
Mbani  took  a  chest  of  goods,  and  put  the  chest  on  the 
head  of  his  wife,  and  he  himself  took  a  sword,  and  they 
returned  to  their  home,  leaving  the  Oroungous  on  the 
beach. 

"A  moon  (month)  passed  away  since  the  Oroungous 
had  left,  and  the  chest  which  the  Oroungous  had  brought, 
and  which  Arondo  carried  to  her  house,  had  not  been 
opened.  One  evening  Arondo  said  to  her  husband, '  Let 
us  go  and  see  what  is  in  the  chest.'  So  they  went  and 
took  the  cover  off,  and  inside  they  discovered  the  most 
beautiful  things,  that  had  come  from  the  white  man'a 
country.  The  chest  was  quite  full  of  beautiful  cloths. 


118  L  OST  IN  THE  JUNGLE. 

Arondo  desired  her  hnrband  to  take  two  fathoms  of  one 
beautiful  cloth,  as  she  liked  it.  So  Akenda  Mbani  cut 
off  two  fathoms.  The  chest  was  then  closed  again,  and 
they  left  the  place. 

"  Then  Akenda  Mbani  seated  himself  on  an  ebongo 
(stool),  and  Arondo  on  the  acoco  (bed),  and  she  began  to 
sew.  She  had  only  pierced  the  cloth  four  times  with  her 
needle  when  she  exclaimed,  *  Husband  !  husband  !  I  be« 
gin  to  have  a  headache !'  Akenda  Mbani  replied, '  Take 
care,  take  care.  Do  not  be  sick  if  you  do  not  wish  me 
to  die ;'  and  he  looked  her  steadily  in  the  face.  Arondo 
called  again, '  Akenda  Mbani !  Akenda  Mbani !  my  hus- 
band, do  tie  a  string  round  my  head,  for  I  have  a  great 
deal  of  pain.'  Then  Arondo  tied  a  string  round  her  hus- 
band's head  also,  though  he  had  no  headache. 

"  In  a  short  time  Arondo  began  to  cry  again,  for  she 
suffered  greatly,  and  her  headache  was  getting  worse  and 
worse.  Akenda  Mbani  was  becoming  frightened,  for  he 
did  not  want  to  die. 

"  The  news  of  Arondo's  illness  spread  all  over  the  vil- 
lage, and  soon  reached  the  ears  of  King  Redjioua,  her 
father  The  whole  people  of  the  village  came  to  see 
Arondo,  and  many  were  around  her  when  she  was  crying 
and  calling  on  her  father.  The  king  said, '  Do  not  cry, 
my  daughter ;  you  will  not  die,  my  child.'  As  soon  as 
Arondo  heard  this,  she  moaned, '  Ah  father !  ah  father  1 
why  did  you  say  I  will  not  die,  for  you  know  that  if  you 
daga  (mourn,  lament,  fear)  death  it  is  sure  to  come.' 

She  had  hardly  uttered  these  words  when  she  died. 
The  people  mourned  and  wept,  putting  their  hands  ovel 
their  heads. 

"  Kedjioua  said,  *  As  my  daughter  is  dead,  Akenda 


BURIAL  OF  AKENLA  MBAXL  117 

Mbani  must  die  also.'  Akenda  Mbani  answered, '  I  will 
die,  that  I  may  be  buried  with  Arondo,  mj  wife.'  So 
Akenda  was  killed. 

"  The  king  ordered  a  slave  to  be  buried  alive  with  his 
daughter.  There  were  also  placed  in  her  grave  ten  dishes, 
ten  jars  full  of  palm  wine,  ten  baskets,  ten  tusks  of  ivory, 
and  many  other  things,  among  which  was  the  chest  of 
the  Orouugous." 

There  was  a  dead  silence  among  us  all,  for  we  wanted 
to  hear  the  end  of  the  story.  Querlaouen  stopped  for 
breath,  and  then  continued : 

"The  place  where  the  people  are  buried  is  called 
Ndjimai,  and  here  they  laid  the  bodies  of  Akenda  Mba- 
ni and  of  Arondo,  side  by  side  in  one  grave,  laying  over 
them  the  spears  of  Akenda  Mbani,  his  battle-axe,  the  bed 
upon  which  he  and  his  wife  had  slept,  his  cutlasses,  and 
his  hunting-bag.  Then  the  people  said, '  Xow  let  us  cover 
the  grave  with  sand,'  which  they  did  until  a  little  mound 
was  formed. 

"Then  Agambouai  (this  name  means  the  speaker  of 
the  village)  said,  '  King,  there  are  leopards  here.'  As 
soon  as  Redjiona  heard  this,  he  cried, 'Do  not  build  a 
mound  over  the  grave  of  my  child,  for  fear  that  leop- 
ards may  see  it,  scratch  up  the  earth,  and  eat  the  body  of 
my  beautiful  daughter.' 

"  They  replied, '  Let  us  take  the  things  back  and  dig  a 
deeper  grave.'  Then  they  took  away  the  things,  and 
seated  the  bodies  of  Arondo  and  Akenda  Mbani  on  two 
seats.  When  they  had  finished  their  work,  and  thought 
the  grave  deep  enough,  they  replaced  all  the  things  they 
had  taken  out.  Then  they  lifted  the  body  of  Arondo 
and  laid  her  gently  in  the  grave.  Kext  they  took  hold 


118  L  OST  IN  THE  JUNGLE. 

of  Akenda  Mbani,  and  raised  him  gently  to  place  him  by 
the  side  of  his  wife ;  but  he  opened  his  eyes  and  mouth, 
and  said, '  Don't  you  know  I  never  go  twice  to  the  same 
place  ?  If  any  of  you  attempt  to  place  me  again  in  the 
tomb,  I  will  kill  him,  for  you  know  I  NEVEE  GO  TWICE  TO 

THE  SAME  PLACE.' 

"  He  then  rose,  and,  accompanied  by  the  people,  re- 
turned to  the  village;  and  when  Redjioua  saw  him  he 
said, '  How  is  it  that  Akenda  Mbani  has  returned  ?  I 
thought  lie  had  been  killed  and  buried.' 

"  Up  to  the  time  of  Redjioua,  when  a  husband  or  wife 
died,  the  survivor  was  killed ;  but  Akenda  Mbani  broke 
the  law  by  rising  again  from  the  grave.  Since  then,  no 
one  is  killed  on  account  of  the  spouse  dying." 

From  this  legend,  which  has  been  handed  down  from 
generation  to  generation,!  conclude  that  perhaps  at  a  re- 
mote period  it  was  compulsory  for  both  husband  and 
wife  to  die  at  the  same  time. 

After  a  hearty  laugh  at  the  lucky  escape  of  Akenda 
Mbani,  my  men  thanked  their  stars  that  they  were  not 
born  at  that  time,  and  then  we  all  went  to  sleep. 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

A  FORMIDABLE    BIRD. — THE    PEOPLE   ARE   AFRAID    OF   IT. 

A  BABY  CARRIED   OFF    BY   THE   GUANIONDZN. A  MONKEY 

ALSO  SEIZED. — I  DISCOVER  A  GUANIONIEN  NEST. 1  WATCH 

FOR  THE  EAGLES. 

SEVERAL  \veeks  have  passed  away  since  the  story  of 
Akenda  Mbani  was  told  us,  and  we  have  sinpe  been  wan- 
dering through  the  forest  in  the  midst  of  the  intricate 
hunting-paths  which  Querlaouen  knew  so  well.  At  night 
we  would  all  meet  and  recount  the  adventures  of  the 
day,  and  eat  the  game  which  some  of  us  had  been  fortu- 
nate enough  to  kill.  In  case  we  had  killed  no  game, 
then  we  had  our  elephant  meat  to  fall  back  upon. 

How  silent  the  forest  was !  Not  a  human  being  be- 
sides ourselves  was  to  be  seen.  A  leaf  falling,  a  bird 
singing,  a  wild  guinea-fowl  calling  for  its  mate,  the  foot- 
steps of  a  gazelle,  the  chatter  of  a  monkey,  the  hum  of  a 
bee,  the  rippling  of  the  water  of  some  beautiful  little 
stream  as  it  meandered  through  the  forest,  were  the  only 
noises  that  ever  disturbed  the  stillness  of  this  grand  sol- 
itude. 

Now  and  then  we  could  hear  the  wind  whispering 
strangely  as  it  passed  gently  amid  the  branches  of  the 
tall  trees  hanging  over  our  heads. 

We  must  have  looked  strange  indeed  as  we  wandered 
through  that  great  forest,  where  God  alone  could  see  us* 


1 20  LOST  IN  THE  JUNGLE. 

How  strange  every  thing  seemed  to  me !  I  was  in  an- 
other world,  and  novel  objects  every  where  met  my  eyes. 

One  morning  I  hear  a  strange  cry  high  up  in  the  air. 
I  look,  and  what  do  I  see  ? — what  do  I  see  yonder  up  in 
the  sky  ?  An  eagle.  But  what  kind  of  an  eagle  ?  for  it 
appears  to  me  so  much  larger  than  any  eagle  I  have  ever 
met  with  before.  And  as  I  asked  this,  my  men  exclaim- 
ed, "  It  is  a  guanionien  /  the  leopard  of  the  air ;  the  bird 
that  feeds  on  gazelles,  goats,  and  monkeys ;  the  bird  that 
is  the  most  difficult  of  any  to  find  and  to  kill."  "  Yes,"  said 
Querlacuen ;  "  in  my  younger  days  I  remember  that  my 
wife  and  myself  were  on  our  plantation,  with  some  of 
our  slaves,  and  one  day  we  heard  the  cries  of  a  baby,  and 
saw  a  child  carried  up  into  the  sky  by  one  of  these  guani- 
onienSo  The  baby  had  been  laid  on  the  ground,  and  the 
guanionien,  whose  eyes  never  miss  any  thing,  and  which 
had  not  been  noticed  soaring  above  our  heads,  pounced 
on  its  prey,  and  then  laughed  at  us  as  he  rose  and  flew  to 
a  distant  part  of  the  forest."  Then  Querlaouen  showed 
me  a  fetich  partly  made  of  two  huge  claws  of  this  bird. 
What  tremendous  things  those  talons  were !  how  deep 
they  could  go  into  the  flesh ! 

Then  came  wonderful  stories  of  the  very  great  strength 
of  the  bird. 

The  people  were  afraid  of  them,  and  were  compelled 
to  be  very  careful  of  their  babies.  These  grand  eagles  do 
not  feed  on  fowls ;  they  are  too  small  game  for  them. 
Monkeys  are  what  they  like  best ;  they  can  watch  them 
as  they  float  over  the  top  of  the  trees  of  the  forest ;  but 
sometimes  the  monkeys  get  the  better  of  them. 

"  People  had  better  not  try  to  get  hold  of  the  guani- 
onien's  young  if  they  want  to  keep  their  sight,"  said  Gan> 


THE  6  UANION1EX  IN  THE  SKY.  121 

bo ;  "  for,  as  sure  as  we  live,  the  old  bird  will  pounce 
upon  the  man  that  touches  its  young." 

For  a  long  time  I  had  heard  the  people  talking  of  the 
guanionien,  out  had  never  yet  had  a  glimpse  of  one. 

Now,  looking  up  again,  I  saw  several  of  them.  How 
high  they  were !  At  times  they  would  appear  to  be  quite 
still  in  the  air ;  at  other  times  they  would  soar.  They 
were  so  high  that  I  do  not  see  how  they  could  possibly 
see  the  trees ;  every  thing  must  have  been  in  a  haze  to 
them ;  monkeys,  of  course,  could  not  be  seen.  They  were, 
no  doubt,  amusing  themselves,  and  I  wonder  if  they  tried 
to  see  how  near  they  could  go  to  the  sun.  Some  at  times 
flew  so  high  that  I  lost  sight  of  them. 

Oh,  how  I  longed  to  kill  a  guanionien ;  but  I  never 
was  able  to  do  it.  Once  I  examined  one,  but  it  was 
dead,  and  had  been  killed  by  spears  as  it  had  come  down 
and  seized  a  goat.  The  natives  had  kept  it  for  me ;  but 
when  I  returned  to  the  village  it  was  quite  spoiled  and 
decomposed,  the  feathers  having  dropped  out. 

Several  times  I  was  on  the  point  of  killing  one,  but 
never  was  in  time. 

My  men  went  hunting  that  morning,  while  I  remained 
alone  in  the  camp,  for  I  felt  tired,  and  wanted  to  write 
up  my  journal,  and  to  describe  all  the  things  I  had  seen  or 
heard  during  the  past  few  days. 

In  the  afternoon  I  thought  I  would  ramble  round.  I 
took  a  double-barreled  smooth-bore  gun,  and  loaded  one 
side  with  a  bullet  in  case  I  should  see  large  game ;  the 
other  barrel  I  loaded  with  shot  No.  2.  Then  I  carefully 
plunged  into  the  woods  till  I  reached  the  banks  of  a  lit- 
le  stream,  and  there  I  heard  the  cry  of  the  mondi  (Colo- 
bus  Satanus),  which  is  one  of  the  largest  monkeys  of 


122 


LOST  IN  THE  JUNGLE. 


these  forests.  From  their  shrill  cries,  I  thought  there 
must  be  at  least  half  a  dozen  together.  I  was  indeed 
glad  that  I  had  one  barrel  loaded  with  big  shot.  If  the 
mondis  were  not  too  far  off,  I  would  be  able  to  get  a  fair 
shot,  and  kill  one. 


make !  I  thought, 


I  advanced  very  cautiously  un- 
til I  got  quite  near  to  them.  1 
could  then  see  their  big  bodies, 
long  tails,  and  long,  jet-black, 
shining  hair.  What  handsome 
beasts  they  were !  what  a  nice- 
looking  muff  their  skins  would 


D  0  WN  IT  CAME.  123 

Just  as  I  wcs  considering  which  of  them  I  would  fire 
at,  I  saw  some  big  thing,  like  a  large  shadow,  suddenly 
come  down  upon  the  tree.  Then  I  heard  the  flapping 
of  heavy  wings,  and  also  the  death-cry  of  a  poor  mondi. 
Then  I  saw  a  huge  bird,  with  a  breast  spotted  somewhat 
like  a  leopard,  raise  itself  slowly  into  the  air,  carrying  the 
monkey  in  its  powerful  finger-like  talons.  The  claws  of 
one  leg  were  fast  in  the  upper  part  of  the  neck  of  the 
monkey ;  so  deep  were  they  in  the  flesh  that  they  were 
completely  buried,  and  a  few  drops  of  blood  fell  upon  the 
leaves  below.  The  other  leg  had  its  claws  quite  deep 
into  the  back  of  tlie  monkey.  The  left  leg  was  kept 
higher  than  the  right,  and  I  could  see  that  the  great 
strength  of  the  bird  was  used  at  that  time  to  keep  the 
neck,  and  also  the  back  of  the  victim,  from  moving.  The 
bird  rose  higher  and  higher,  the  monkey's  tail  swayed  to 
and  fro,  and  then  both  disappeared.  It  was  a  guanio- 
nien.  Its  prey  was,  no  doubt,  taken  to  some  big  tree 
where  it  could  be  devoured. 

The  natives  say  that  the  first  thing  the  guanionien 
does  is  to  take  out  the  eyes  of  the  monkeys  they  catch. 
But  there  must  be  a  fearful  struggle,  for  these  mondis 
are  powerful  beasts,  and  do  not  die  at  the  eagle's  will. 
There  must  be  a  great  trial  of  strength ;  for  if  the  mon- 
key is  not  seized  at  an  exact  place  on  the  neck,  he  can 
turn  his  head,  and  he  then  inflicts  a  fearful  bite  on  the 
breast  of  the  eagle,  or  on  his  neck  or  leg,  which  disables 
his  most  terrible  enemy,  and  then  both,  falling,  meet  their 
death. 

I  looked  on  without  firing.  The  monkeys  seemed  par- 
alyzed with  fear  when  the  eagle  came  down  upon  them, 
and  did  not  move  until  after  the  bird  of  prey  had  taken 


124  *<  OST  IN  THE  JUNGLE. 

one  of  their  number,  and  then  decamped.  When  I  look- 
ed  for  them  they  had  fled  for  parts  unknown  to  me  in 
the  forest.  I  was  looking  so  intently  at  the  eagle  and 
its  prey  that  for  a  while  I  had  forgotten  the  mondis.  I 
do  not  wonder  at  it,  for  monkeys  I  could  see  often,  but 
it  is  only  once  in  a  great  while  that  such  a  scene  as  I 
witnessed  could  be  seen  by  a  man.  It  was  grand ;  and  1 
wondered  not  that  the  natives  called  the  guanionien  tlir 
leopard  of  the  air.  As  I  write  these  lines,  though  sev 
eral  years  have  passed  away,  I  see  still  before  me  that 
big,  powerful  bird  carrying  its  prey  to  some  unknown 
part  of  the  forest. 

Long  after  the  time  I  have  been  speaking  to  yow 
about,  I  was  hunting  in  the  forest,  when  I  came  to  a  spot 
where  I  saw  on  the  ground  more  than  a  hundred  skulls 
of  various  animals,  and  of  monkeys  of  all  sizes,  from 
those  of  baby  monkeys  to  those  of  large  mandrills ;  and 
there  were  two  or  three  skulls  of  young  chimpanzees. 
What  a  ghastly  sight  it  was !  Some  of  these  skulls  seem- 
ed almost  fresh ;  they  were  skulls  of  all  the  species  of 
monkeys  found  in  the  forest. 

What  could  all  this  mean  ?  I  quickly  perceived  that 
these  skulls  were  all  scattered  round  a  huge  tree  which 
rose  higher  than  any  of  the  trees  surrounding  it.  Rais- 
ing my  eyes  toward  the  top,  I  saw  a  huge  nest  made  of 
branches  of  trees.  I  looked  and  looked  in  vain.  I  could 
not  even  hear  the  cries  of  any  young  birds.  They  had 
gone ;  they  must  have  left  their  nest,  and  I  wondered  if 
they  would  come  back  at  night  with  the  old  folks  /  so  I 
concluded  that  I  would  lie  in  wait. 

I  waited  in  vain.  The  sun  set,  and  no  guanionien ; 
darkness  came,  and  no  guanionien.  Then  I  took  a  box 


1  AM  ALL  ALONE.  12S 

of  matches  from  my  hunting-bag,  and  set  fire  to  a  large 
pile  of  wood  which  I  had  made  ready,  and  then  I  cook- 
ed a  few  plantains  I  had  with  me. 

I  was  all  alone ;  I  had  taken  no  one  with  me.  How 
quiet  and  silent  every  thing  was  around  me  that  night ! 
Now  and  then  I  could  hear  the  dew  that  had  collected  on 
the  leaves  above  come  down  drop  after  drop.  I  could 
see  a  bright  star  through  the  thick  foliage  of  the  trees. 
I  could  hear  the  music  of  the  inusquitoes  round  me ;  for 
I  think  there  is  something  musical  about  the  buzzing  of 
a  musquito,  though  there  is  nothing  pleasant  about 
its  bite.  I  could  see  now  and  then  a  beautiful  and 
bright  fire-fly,  which  seemed  to  be  like  a  light  flitting 
through  the  jungle  from  place  to  place,  sometimes  re- 
maining still  and  giving  a  stream  of  light  all  round  as 
it  rested  on  some  big  leaves  for  a  while,  then  moving  far- 
ther on. 

Now  and  then  I  could  hear  the  mournful  cry  of  the 
owl,  and  at  times  I  fancied  I  could  hear  the  footstep  of 
wild  beasts  walking  in  the  silence  of  night. 

I  did  not  sleep  at  all  that  night ;  I  did  not  wish  to  do 
so ;  and,  as  I  was  seated  by  the  fire,  I  thought  of  the 
strange  life  I  had  led  for  some  time  past — how  strange 
every  thing  was  from  what  I  had  been  accustomed  to  see 
at  home.  There  was  not  a  tree  in  the  forest  that  we  had 
in  ours,  and  the  face  of  a  white  man  had  not  been  seen 
by  me  for  a  very  long  time. 

The  night  passed  slowly,  but  at  last  the  cries  of  the 
partridges  reminded  me  that  daylight  was  not  far  off. 
When  the  twilight  came,  it  was  of  very  short  duration ; 
the  birds  began  to  sing,  the  insects  to  move  about,  the 
monkeys  to  chatter,  but  the  hyena,  the  leopardT  and  oth- 


126  L  OST  IN  THE  JUNGLE. 

er  night -animals  had  retired  long  before  the  sunlight 
into  their  dens. 

Then  I  got  up  and  roasted  a  plantain,  which  I  ate ; 
forthwith  I  shouldered  rny  gun  and  started  back  for  the 
village  by  a  hunting-path  that  I  knew. 

Coming  to  the  banks  of  a  stream,  where  the  water  was 
as  pure  and  limpid  as  crystal,  I  seated  myself  by  the 
charming  rivulet,  thinking  I  would  refresh  myself  by 
taking  a  bath,  when  lo !  what  do  I  see  ?  a  large  snake 
swimming  in  the  water.  Its  body  was  black,  and  its 
belly  yellow,  with  black  stripes.  I  immediately  got  up 
and  fired  at  the  disgusting  creature,  which  I  killed  ;  and 
that  water,  which  appeared  to  me  a  few  minutes  before 
so  nice,  was,  to  my  eyes,  no  longer  so. 


CHAPTER  XV. 

fHE  CASCADE  OF  NIAMA-BEEMBAI. A  NATIVE  CAMP. STAB* 

ING  FOE  THE  HUNT. A  MAN  ATTACKED  BY  A  GORILLA.— 

HIS  GUN  BROKEN. THE  MAN  DIES. HIS  BURIAL. 

AFTER  wandering  through  the  forest,  at  times  coming 
back  to  the  Bakalai  village  for  food,  Gambo  suggested 
that  we  should  go  and  see  his  father,  who  was  an  Ashira 
chief,  and  who  had  built  an  olako  in  the  forest  not  far 
from  the  Bakalai  village  of  Ndjali-Coudie. 

We  traveled  through  the  forest  until  we  reached  a 
beautiful  cascade,  called  Niama-Biembai.  How  grace- 
fully Kiama-Biembai  wanders  through  the  hills,  falling 
from  rock  to  rock !  Its  bed  is  gravelly,  and  its  water 
clear  and  pure,  like  some  Northern  brook.  How  I  loved 
to  look  at  Niama-Biembai,  and,  by  the  gentle  noise  its 
waters  made  in  falling,  to  think  of  friends  who  were  far 
away! 

Just  in  sight  of  this  charming  cascade  was  the  encamp- 
ment of  Gambo's  father,  whom  I  had  met  before.  "We 
were  received  with  great  joy  by  the  people.  The  even- 
ing of  my  arrival  the  olako  was  busy  with  preparations. 
Meat  was  scarce — very  scarce;  gouamba  (hunger  for 
meat)  had  seized  the  people,  and  the  great  hunters  were 
getting  ready  for  the  hunt,  and  the  people  were  joyful 
in  the  belief  that  plenty  of  game  would  be  brought  into 
the  camp. 


128  L  OST  IN  THE  JUNGLE. 

In  the  evening  the  hunters  spoke  with  hollow  and  son* 
orous  voices,  and  called  upon  the  spirits  of  their  ances- 
tors to  protect  them.  They  covered  themselves  with  the 
chalk  of  the  Alumbi,  and  then  bled  their  hands. 

Then  we  seated  ourselves  round  the  fire,  and  the  eleven 
hunters  who  were  going  with  me  began  to  tell  their  won- 
derful stories. 

The  next  morning  we  made  for  the  hunting-paths. 
Seven  men  were  to  go  off  in  one  direction  for  gazelles, 
and  three  others,  among  whom  I  was  one,  were  to  hunt 
for  gorillas.  Malaouen  and  Querlaouen  went  by  them- 
selves ;  Gambo  and  another  man  accompanied  me. 

Before  starting,  Igoumba,  the  chief  of  the  Olako,  told 
us  to  be  careful,  for  there  were  some  bad  and  ferocious 
gorillas  in  the  woods.  After  walking  some  distance,  we 
finally  made  toward  a  dark  valley,  where  Gambo  said  we 
should  find  our  prey.  We  were  soon  in  one  of  the  most 
dense  jungles  I  ever  met  in  Africa.  My  poor  pantaloons 
received  several  rents  from  the  thorns ;  at  last  one  of  the 
legs  was  taken  clean  off,  so  I  was  left  with  one-leg  panta- 
loons. We  were  at  times  in  the  midst  of  swamps,  so  this 
was  one  of  the  hardest  days  I  had  had  for  a  long  time. 

The  gorilla  chooses  the  darkest  and  gloomiest  forest 
for  his  home,  and  is  found  on  the  outskirts  of  the  clear- 
ings only  when  in  search  of  plantains,  bananas,  sugar- 
cane, or  pine-apples.  Often  he  chooses  for  his  peculiar 
haunt  a  wood  so  dark  that,  even  at  midday,  one  can 
scarcely  see  ten  yards.  Oh  young  folks !  I  wish  you 
could  have  been  with  me  in  some  part  of  that  great 
jungle,  then  you  could  have  seen  for  yourselves. 

Our  little  party  had  separated.  My  friends  Malaouen 
and  Querlaouen  said  they  were  going  to  seek  for  elephants. 


FEAEFUL  ENCOUNTER  129 

Gambo,  his  friend,  and  myself  were  to  hunt  for  gorillas. 
Gambo  and  I  kept  together ;  for  really,  if  I  had  lost  him, 
I  should  never  have  found  my  way  back.  All  at  once 
Gambo's  friend  left  us,  saying  that  he  was  going  to  a 
spot  where  the  tondo  (a  fruit)  was  plentiful,  and  there 
might  be  gorillas  there ;  so  he  went  off. 

He  had  been  gone  but  a  short  time  when  I  heard  a 
gun  fired  only  a  little  way  from  us,  and  then  I  heard  the 
tremendous  roar  of  the  gorilla,  which  sounded  like  dis- 
tant thunder  along  the  sky.  The  whole  forest  seemed 
filled  with  the  din.  Oh  how  pale  I  must  have  looked ! 
a  cold  shudder  ran  through  me.  When  I  looked  at 
Gambo,  his  face  looked  anxious.  We  gazed  in  each 
other's  faces  without  saying  a  word,  but  instinctively  we 
made  for  the  spot  where  we  had  heard  the  roar  of  the 
gorilla  and  detonation  of  the  gun.  When  I  first  heard 
the  gun  I  thought  the  gorilla  had  been  slain,  and  my 
heart  was  filled  with  joy ;  but  the  joy  was  of  short  dura- 
tion, for  the  roar  immediately  followed,  to  tell  us  that  the 
gorilla  was  not  dead. 

Then  through  the  forest  resounded  once  more  the 
crack  of  a  gun,  and  immediately  afterward  the  most 
terrific  roars  of  the  beast.  He  roared  three  times,  and 
then  all  became  silent ;  no  more  roars  were  heard,  no 
more  guns  were  fired.  This  time  Gambo  seized  my  arm 
in  great  agitation,  and  we  hurried  on,  both  filled  with  a 
dreadful  and  sickening  alarm.  We  had  not  to  go  far  be- 
fore our  worst  fears  were  realized.  We  pressed  through 
the  jungle  in  search  of  our  companion,  and  at  last  found 
him.  The  poor  brave  fellow,  who  had  gone  off  alone, 
was  lying  on  the  ground  in  a  pool  of  his  own  blood,  and, 
I  at  first  thought,  quite  dead.  Beside  him  lay  his  gun ; 

y 


130  LOST  IN  THE  JUNGLE. 

the  stock  was  broken,  and  the  barrel  bent  almost  double. 
In  one  place  it  was  flattened,  and  it  bore  plainly  the 
marks  of  the  gorilla's  teeth. 

Yes ;  the  huge  monster,  in  his  rage,  had  bitten  the  bar- 
rel of  the  gun,  and  his  powerful  teeth  had  gone  fiercely 
into  that  piece  of  steel.  What  a  face  he  must  have  made 
as  he  held  the  barrel  of  that  gun  between  his  tremendous 
teeth !  how  he  must  have,  gnashed  them  with  rage !  how 
the  wrinkles  on  his  old  face  must  have  shown  out !  It 
must  have  been  one  of  the  most  horrid  and  frightful 
pictures  that  one  could  ever  behold. 

Lowering  my  body  and  putting  my  ear  to  his  heart,  I 
remained  for  a  while  pale  and  speechless.  At  last  I  dis- 
covered that  his  heart  beat.  Oh  how  glad  I  was ! 

I  immediately  tore  to  pieces  the  old  shirt  I  wore — it 
was  one  of  the  last  I  possessed — and  the  remaining  leg 
of  my  pantaloons,  and  began  to  dress  his  wounds.  I 
never  was  much  of  a  surgeon,  so  I  felt  somewhat  awk- 
ward and  nervous.  Then  I  poured  into  his  mouth  a  lit- 
tle brandy,  which  I  took  from  the  small  flask  I  always 
carried  with  me  in  case  of  need,  which  revived  him  a 
little,  and  he  was  able,  with  great  difficulty,  to  speak. 
And  then  he  told  us  that  he  was  walking  in  the  jungle 
just  where  the  tondo  grew,  when  he  suddenly  met,  face 
to  face,  a  huge  male  gorilla.  As  soon  as  the  gorilla 
saw  him  he  was  literally  convulsed  with  rage,  and  rushed 
at  him.  It  was  a  very  gloomy  part  of  the  wood,  and 
there  were  a  great  many  barriers  between  him  and  the 
gorilla.  It  was  almost  quite  dark  in  that  thicket,  but  he 
took  good  aim,  and  fired  at  the  beast  when  he  was  about 
eight  yards  off.  The  ball,  he  thought,  had  wounded  him 
in  the  side.  The  monster  at  once  began  beating  his 


THE  ATTACK  OF  A  GOSILLA.  131 

breast,  giving  three  most  impressive  roars,  which  shook 
the  earth,  and,  with  the  greatest  rage,  advanced  upon  him. 

To  run  away  was  impossible.  He  would  have  been 
caught  by  the  muscular  arm  of  the  gorilla,  and  held 
in  his  powerful  and  giant  hand,  before  he  could  have 
taken  a  dozen  steps  in  the  jungle.  "  So,"  said  the  poor 
fellow,  "  I  stood  my  ground,  and  reloaded  my  gun  as 
quickly  as  I  could,  for  the  gorilla  was  slowly  but  steadily 
advancing  upon  me.  As  I  raised  my  gun  to  fire,  the  go- 
rilla, which  was  quite  close  to  me,  stretched  out  his  long 
and  powerful  arm,  and  dashed  the  gun  from  my  grasp. 
It  struck  the  ground  with  great  violence  and  went  off. 
Then,  in  an  instant,  and  with  a  terrible  roar,  the  animal 
raised  his  arm  and  came  at  me  with  terrific  force.  I 
was  felled  to  the  ground  by  a  heavy  blow  from  his  im- 
mense open  paw." 

Here  the  poor  fellow  tried  to  raise  his  arm  to  his  abdo 
men,  and  continued :  "  He  cut  me  in  two ;  and  while  I  lay 
bleeding  on  the  ground,  the  monster  seized  my  gun,  and 
I  thought  he  would  dash  my  brains  out  with  it.  That  is 
all  I  remember.  I  know  that  I  am  going  to  die." 

This  huge  gorilla  thought  the  gun  was  his  enemy,  so 
he  had  seized  it  and  dashed  it  on  the  ground,  and  then, 
not  satisfied,  had  taken  it  up  again  and  given  it  a  tremen- 
dous bite — a  bite  which  would  have  crushed  the  arm  of 
a  man  more  easily  than  we  crush  the  bones  of  a  young 
spring  chicken. 

The  great  strength  of  the  gorilla  seems  to  lie  in  that 
big,  long,  and  gigantic  muscular  arm  of  his,  and  in  his 
immense  hands — which  we  may  call  paws — with  which 
he  strikes,  the  hand  always  being  almost  wide  open  as  it 
strikes. 


132  LOST  IN  THE  JUNGLE. 

When  we  reached  the  spot  the  gorilla  was  gone,  so 
Gambo  blew  his  antelope-horn,  calling  upon  the  other 
men  to  rejoin  us.  We  then  made,  with  branches  of  trees, 
a  kind  of  bed,  laying  lots  of  leaves  over  it,  upon  which 
we  carried  the  poor  fellow  back  to  the  cainp  of  the 
Ashiras. 

I  still  remember  the  heart-rending,  piercing  wail  1 
heard  when  I  entered  the  camp ;  how  his  poor  wife  came 
rushing  out  to  meet  him,  holding  his  hand  and  crying, 
"  Husband,  do  speak  to  me — do  speak  to  me  once  more !" 
But  he  never  spoke  again,  for  at  last  his  heart  ceased  to 
beat,  and  he  was  dead.  He  had  been  killed  by  a  gorilla. 

How  sorry  I  was.  I  felt  truly  unhappy.  They  entreat- 
ed me  to  give  the  poor  fellow  medicine.  They  seemed 
persuaded  that  I  could  prevent  his  dying ;  but  I  was  far 
from  my  head-quarters,  where  all  my  medicines  were, 
and  I  had  nothing  to  suit  his  case. 

The  people  declared,  with  one  accord,  that  it  was  no 
true  gorilla  that  had  attacked  him,  but  a  man — a  wicked 
man  that  had  been  turned  into  a  gorilla.  Such  a  being 
no  one  could  escape,  for  he  can  not  be  killed. 

The  next  morning  I  got  up,  and,  taking  my  large  bag, 
put  into  it  provisions  for  three  days,  adding  two  or  three 
pounds  of  powder,  with  forty  or  fifty  large  bullets.  I 
took  my  best  gun,  and  placed,  as  usual,  my  two  revolvers 
in  the  belt  fastened  round  my  waist,  then  painted  my 
hands  and  face  with  powdered  charcoal,  mixed  with 
palm  oil,  so  that  I  might  appear  black.  I  took  Querla- 
ouen  with  me,  telling  him  that  I  must  kill  that  gorilla. 
Querlaouen,  at  first,  did  not  want  to  go, "  for,"  said  he, 
"we  will  never  be  able  to  kill  that  man  gorilla."  But 
Querlaouen  always  obeyed  me. 


AMBO'B   FBIBMD   KILLED  BY   A  GOSttLA. 


1 34  LOST  IN  THE  JUNGLE. 

"We  proceeded  at  once  into  the  thick  of  the  jungle, 
making  for  the  spot  where  the  poor  man  had  been  mor- 
tally wounded.  I  felt  very  sorry  when  I  saw  the  place 
where  the  man  had  been  killed.  A  flush  came  over  my 
face.  "  Thou  shalt  be  avenged !"  I  muttered.  I  looked 
at  my  gun  with  ferocious  joy ;  I  held  it  up,  and  fondled 
it,  and  I  must  have  looked  fierce,  for  poor  Querlaouen 
appeared  terrified.  "  Yes,"  said  I  to  Querlaouen,  "  I  shall 
kill  that  very  gorilla." 

I  followed  for  a  while  the  tracks  of  the  beast  by  the 
marks  of  blood  he  had  left  on  the  trunks  of  the  trees, 
but  these  became  less  and  less  noticeable  as  I  removed 
from  the  scene  of  that  sad  catastrophe.  Finally  I  lost 
those  bloody  hand-prints ;  but  then  I  followed  closely, 
and  with  great  care,  other  marks  he  had  left  in  the  jun- 
gle as  he  went  along.  At  times  I  would  entirely  lose 
these  signs  of  the  huge  monster,  then  I  would  find  them 
again.  I  lost  them  finally,  and  I  searched  and  searched, 
but  they  were  not  to  be  seen.  I  had  evidently  gone 
astray.  I  was  so  annoyed,  so  disheartened ;  for  I  had 
set  my  heart  on  killing  that  gorilla,  and  J  was  on  the 
point  of  giving  up  the  chase.  Querlaouen  kept  a  few 
hundred  yards  from  me,  and  he  could  see  no  traces  of 
the  gorilla. 

Suddenly,  and  by  sheer  carelessness,  I  had  stepped  on 
a  dead  branch  of  a  tree,  and  broke  it.  Of  course,  the 
breaking  of  that  dry  limb  made  a  noise.  Immediately 
I  heard  a  tremendous  rush  in  the  jungle,  and  then  saw 
an  intensely  black  face  peering  through  the  leaves.  The 
deep,  gray,  sunken  eyes  of  the  great  beast  seemed  to  emit 
fire  when  they  got  sight  of  me.  Then  he  scattered  the 
jungle  with  his  two  hands,  raised  himself  (for  he  was  on 


THE  GORILLA  ATTACKS  ME.  135 

all-fours)  on  liis  hind  legs,  gave  from  that  huge  chest  one 
of  his  deep,  terrific  roars,  which  shook  the  whole  adja- 
cent forest,  and  rushed  toward  me,  showing  his  immense 
teeth  as  he  opened  his  mouth. 

I  had  never  before  seen  a  gorilla  come  so  quickly  to 
the  attack  as  did  this  one.  He  walked  in  a  waddling 
manner,  his  two  arms  extended  toward^me,  his  body  bent 
in  the  same  direction,  and  it  seemed  to  me  that  at  any 
moment  I  might  see  him  tumble  down  on  his  face.  This 
feeling  was  caused  by  his  peculiar  walk. 

I  was  calm,  but  it  was  the  calm  that  precedes  death 
— the  feeling  that  in  one  minute  more  I  might  be  a  dead 
man.  I  am  sure  not  a  muscle  moved  in  my  face.  I 
was  steady,  and  said  to  myself, "  Paul  B.  Du  Chaillu,  you 
will  never  go  home  if  you  do  not  kill  that  creature  on  the 
spot,  and  before  he  has  a  chance  to  get  hold  of  your  poor 
body." 

As  he  approached  nearer  and  nearer,  I  know  that  1 
was  cool  and  determined,  but  felt  that  within  a  few  sec- 
onds all  might  be  over  with  me ;  for,  if  the  diabolical 
creature  once  had  me  in  his  grasp,  he  would  crush  me  to 
death. 

Here  he  is,  only  five  yards  distant,  but  the  jungle  is  so 
thick  that  if  I  fire  my  bullet  may  strike  the  limb  of  a 
tree.  I  wait.  I  feel  that  I  am  as  pale  as  death.  I  have 
raised  my  gun  to  my  shoulder,  and  follow  the  movements 
of  the  beast,  all  the  time  with  it  pointed  at  his  head. 
Now  he  is  only  four  yards  distant ;  I  mean  his  body,  for 
his  arms  are  extended  toward  me,  and  are  much  nearer. 

I  wait  a  little  longer.  lie  has  made  one  step  more  to- 
ward me ;  he  is  within  three  yards  and  a  half  of  me.  In 
three  or  four  seconds  more  he  will  be  a  dead  gorilla  or 


136  LOST  IN  THE  JUNGLE. 

I  a  dead  man.  Just  as  he  opened  his  mouth  to  utter  an- 
other of  his  frightful  roars,  and  I  could  feel  his  breath 
on  my  face,  I  fired,  and  shot  him  right  through  the  heart. 

He  gave  a  leap,  and  fell,  with  a  fearful  groan,  quite 
dead,  his  long,  powerful  arm  almost  reaching  me  as  he 
lay  extended  on  the  ground,  as  if  ready  to  clutch  me; 
but  it  fell  short  by  a  few  inches.  1  drew  a  heavy  breath, 
for  my  respiration  had  become  short  through  excitement. 
I  had  a  narrow  escape,  for  if  the  gorilla's  hands  in  fall- 
ing had  reached  me  they  would  have  lacerated  me  ter- 
ribly. 

Querlaouen  was  perfectly  wild.  While  the  gorilla 
was  coming  to  the  attack,  he  cried  out  with  his  powerful 
voice  several  times,  and  with  all  his  might,  "  Kombo, 
come  here  if  you  dare  I  come  here !"  He  gave  a  tre- 
mendous shout  as  the  gorilla  fell,  advanced  toward  the 
dead  monster,  fired  right  into  his  body,  and  then  whirled 
round  toward  me.  I  thought  he  had  become  insane,  he 
looked  so  wild. 

When  we  went  up  to  the  gorilla  he  was  quite  dead. 
His  eyes  were  wide  open,  his  lips  shut,  and  his  teeth 
clinched  together.  When  I  took  hold  of  his  hand  a  cold 
shiver  ran  through  me,  it  was  so  big.  The  hand  of  Goli- 
ath, the  giant,  could  not  have  been  any  larger. 

When  we  returned  to  the  camp,  and  told  how  we  had 
slain  the  gorilla,  there  was  immense  rejoicing.  Soon  aft- 
er a  number  of  men  went  with  Querlaouen  to  fetch  the 
monster,  and  when  it  made  its  appearance  in  the  village 
the  people  became  intensely  excited,  and  it  was  all  I 
could  do  to  prevent  them  from  hacking  the  body  to 
pieces.  I  am  happy  to  say,  however,  that  I  was  able  to 
bring  this  big  specimen  to  ]S"ew  York. 


CHAPTER  XVI. 

FPVKU.VL    OF   THE   GORILLA'S   VICTIM. A   MAN*S    HEAD    FOR 

THE    ALTTHBI. THE    SNAKE    AND    THE    GUINEA-FOWL. — 

SNAKE   KILLED. VISIT  TO  THE  HOUSE  OF  THE  ALUMBI. 

DETERMINE   TO   VISIT   THE    SEA-COAST. 

Now  the  people  were  to  bury  the  man  who  had  been 
killed  by  that  big  gorilla.  His  kindred  arrived  to  get 
tho  body  to  carry  it  to  his  village.  Every  man  had  his 
body  and  face  painted  in  all  sorts  of  colors.  They  also 
wore  their  fetiches,  and  looked  like  so  many  devils  com- 
ing out  of  the  woods. 

After  traveling  the  whole  day  we  came  to  a  strange 
village  on  the  top  of  a  hill,  at  the  foot  of  which  there 
was  a  beautiful  little  stream,  the  water  of  which  never 
dried  during  the  season  when  there  was  no  rain. 

As  soon  as  we  made  our  appearance  the  sounds  of 
wailing  and  weeping  filled  the  air.  The  body  was  taken 
to  the  house  of  the  deceased,  where  his  widows — for  he 
had  three  wives — mourned,  and  wept,  and  cried  so  that  I 
felt  the  greatest  sympathy  for  them. 

At  sunset  silence  reigned  in  the  village-.  All  the  wom- 
en naa  gone  Into  their  huts,  while  the  men  seated  them- 
selves on  the  ground  or  on  their  little  stools.  But  sud- 
denly a  great  wailing  rent  the  air,  and  from  every  hut 
came  lamentations — sounds  that  were  heart-rending. 
Then  they  sang  songs,  praising  the  departed  one — songs 


i  38  LOST  IN  THE  JUNGLE. 

such  as  I  have  described  to  you  young  folks  in  "  Stories 
of  the  Gorilla  Country." 

At  last,  after  two  days,  six  stout  men,  covered  with 
fetiches  and  painted  in  the  most  fantastic  manner,  came 
to  take  the  body,  to  leave  it  in  the  woods  under  some  big 
tree. 

As  soon  as  they  were  ready  the  tam-tams  began  to 
beat,  and  songs  of  sorrow  were  chanted  as  they  disap- 
peared from  the  village.  I  followed  the  body,  for  I 
wished  to  see  what  they  would  do.  After  a  while  we 
got  into  the  jungle,  and  soon  came  to  a  spot  where  the 
body  was  left.  A  fire  was  lighted  by  its  side,  no  doubt 
with  the  idea  of  keeping  him  warm;  then  some  boiled 
plantains,  and  a  piece  of  cooked  elephant  and  some 
smoked  fish,  were  put  in  a  dish  of  wicker-work  and 
placed  at  his  head.  All  the  while  the  men  kept  mutter- 
ing words  I  did  not  understand. 

The  day  after  the  funeral,  toward  sunset,  while  I  was 
looking  for  birds  in  the  forest,  trying  to  obtain  some  new 
specimens  which  I  might  never  have  seen  before,  I  fell 
in  with  the  brother  of  the  deceased,  and  saw  that  he 
was  carrying  something  carefully  packed — something 
which  I  could  not  make  out.  I  asked  him  what  it  was. 
At  first  he  replied,  "  Nothing."  Then  I  said,  "  You  must 
tell  me."  Thinking  that  I  was  getting  angry,  he  then 
answered,  "  Moguizi,  I  will  tell  you  what  it  is.  It  is  the 
head  of  my  brother  who  was  buried  yesterday,  and  I  have 
just  been  to  get  it."  "The  head  of  your  brother!"  I  ex- 
claimed; "and  why  have  you  cut  off  the  head  of  your 
brother  ?"  "  Because,"  he  answered,  in  a  low  whisper, 
"  my  brother  was  a  great  hunter,  a  mighty  warrior,  and 
I  want  to  put  his  head  in  the  house  of  the  Alumbi.  Mo- 


SNAKE  A  TTA  CKS  A  G  UINEA-FO  WL.  139 

guizi,  do  not  tell  any  one  that  you  have  seen  me  with 
this  head,  for  we  never  tell  any  one  when  we  do  this 
thing,  though  we  all  do  it.  After  we  have  been  in  the 
village  I  will  show  you  the  house  of  the  Alumbi." 

So  I  let  him  go  back  to  his  village,  and  I  went  hunting 
for  my  birds. 

As  I  was  returning  to  my  home  in  the  village,  I  stopped 
on  the  bank  of  the  little  stream,  and  there  I  perceived 
a  very  large  snake  enjoying  a  bath.  As  the  water  was 
quite  clear,  I  could  see  him  perfectly.  I  thought  I  would 
watch  his  movements  rather  than  kill  him. 

The  back  of  this  snake  was  black,  and  his  belly  striped 
yellow  and  black.  It  was  of  a  very  venomous  kind,  and 
one  most  dreaded  by  the  natives.  I  could  not  help  a 
cold  shudder  running  through  me  as  I  looked  at  the  rep- 
tile. By-and-by  it  came  out  of  the  water  and  remained 
still  for  a  little  while.  Then  I  saw  a  beautiful  Guinea- 
fowl  coming  toward  the  stream  to  drink.  How  beauti- 
ful the  bird  looked !  I  have  before  described  it  in  "  Sto- 
ries of  the  Gorilla  Country."  He  came  toward  the  water, 
and  just  as  it  stood  on  the  brink  of  the  little  stream, 
ready  to  drink,  I  saw  the  huge  snake  crawling  silently 
toward  the  bird.  It  crawled  so  gently  that  I  could  not 
even  hear  the  noise  its  body  made  as  it  glided  over  the 
dead  leaves  that  had  fallen  from  the  trees.  It  came 
nearer  and  nearer,  and  it  certainly  did  not  make  the 
noise  that  it  does  when  not  in  search  of  prey. ' 

The  poor  Guinea-fowl,  in  the  mean  time,  was  unaware 
of  the  approach  of  its  enemy,  and  how  greatly  its  life 
was  in  danger.  So  it  lowered  its  neck  and  dipped  its 
bill  into  the  water ;  once,  twice,  and  the  snake  was  get- 
ting nearer  and  nearer ;  thrice,  and  the  snake  was  close  at 


1 40  LOST  IN  THE  JUNGLE. 

hand ;  and  now  the  snake  began  to  coil  itself  for  a  spring. 
Then  the  bird  took  one  drink  more,  and  just  as  it  turned 
its  head  back  its  eyes  met  those  of  the  snake,  which  stood 
glaring  at  the  bird.  The  poor  Guinea-fowl  stood  still, 
moving  not  a  step,  and  it  was  not  more  than  half  a  yard 
from  the  snake,  when  suddenly  the  monster  sprang  with 
a  dart  on  the  poor  bird,  and  before  I  had  time  to  wink, 
part  of  its  shiny  black  body  was  round  the  fowl. 

How  pitiful  were  the  cries  of  the  poor  Guinea-fowl ! 
Quick,  quick,  quick,  and  all  was  over.  The  snake's 
mouth  distended,  for  he  had  begun  to  swallow  the  bird 
by  the  head.  Just  then  I  fired  in  such  a  way  as  not  to 
hit  the  snake,  and  in  his  fright  he  disgorged  the  bird  and 
left  him  and  the  field,  crawling  out  of  the  way  as  quick 
as  possible.  This  time  I  could  hear  the  noise  of  the 
leaves.  Indeed,  it  went  off  very  fast,  and  I  was  just  on 
the  point  of  losing  sight  of  it,  when  I  managed  to  send  a 
load  of  shot  into  its  body,  breaking  the  spine,  as  it  was 
about  half  way  across  the  stream.  Then  I  took  a  look 
at  the  dead  Guinea-fowl.  Toward  the  neck  the  feathers 
were  very  slimy  from  the  snake-froth.  The  snake  was 
now  twisting  about  in  all  directions,  but  could  neither 
advance  nor  retreat,  for  you  know  that,  its  spine  being 
cut,  it  could  not  swim,  and  therefore  soon  died. 

I  picked  up  my  Guinea-fowl,  cut  off  the  head  of  the 
snake,  made  a  parcel  of  its  body,  and  took  the  trophies 
of  my  day's  sport  into  the  village,  where  I  gave  a  treat 
to  some  of  my  friends. 

Soon  after  my  return  I  went  to  see  my  friend  Oyagui, 
who  told  me  in  a  most  mysterious  way  to  wait,  and  that 
he  would  show  me  the  house  of  the  Alumbi  on  the  next 
day. 


A  HO  USE  OF  THE  AL  UMSL  1 41 

The  next  morning  I  did  not  see  Oyagui,  but  toward 
sunset  he  came  with  the  same  mysterious  air,  and  told 
me  to  come  with  him.  Then  he  led  me  to  the  rear  of 
his  hut,  where  there  was  a  little  dwarfish  house,  which 
we  entered.  There  I  saw  three  skulls  of  men  resting  on 
the  ochre  with  which  he  rubbed  his  body.  One  cake 
was  red,  another  yellow,  and  another  white.  There  lay 
the  skull  of  his  father,  of  an  uncle,  and  of  a  brother.  As 
for  the  fresh  head  he  had  cut  the  day  before,  it  was  not 
to  be  seen.  There  were  several  fetiches  hung  above  the 
skulls — fetiches  which  were  famous,  and  had  led  his  an- 
cestors to  victory,  gave  them  success  in  the  hunt,  and  had 
prevented  them  from  being  bewitched.  One  of  these 
fetiches  had  two  claws  of  the  eagle  called  guanionien, 
and  three  scales  of  an  animal  called  ipi,  an  ant-eater,  the 
scales  on  which  are  very  large  and  thick.  This  ipi  I  had 
thus  far  never  been  able  to  see,  though  I  had  heard  of  it. 
In  the  hut  was  also  a  plain  iron  chain,  and  in  the  fore- 
ground the  remains  of  a  burning  fire.  Oyagui  never 
spoke  a  word,  and  after  looking  round  I  left,  and  he 
closed  the  door,  which  was  made  of  the  bark  of  trees. 

The  people  of  the  village  were  comparatively  strange, 
and  regarded  me  with  some  fear.  That  day  there  was  a 
new  moon.  In  the  evening  all  was  silent ;  hardly  a  whis- 
per could  be  heard.  The  men  had  painted  their  bodies, 
and  there  was  no  dancing  or  singing,  so  I  retired  to  my 
hut,  and  was  soon  soundly  sleeping. 

By  this  time  I  began  to  feel  tired  of  my  hard  and  ex. 
citing  life,  and  thought  of  gradually  returning  toward  the 
sea-coast.  In  the  morning  I  had  made  up  my  mind  to 
leave,  and  made  preparations  accordingly,  and  on  the 
following  day  I  bade  these  people  good-by,  and  started 
on  my  return. 


CHAPTER  XVII. 

A-T  WASHINGTON  ONCE  MOKE. DELIGHTS  OF  THE  6EA-SHORB. 

1   HAVE   BEEN   MADE   A   MAKAGA. — FRIENDS   OBJECT  TO 

MY  RETURN  INTO  THE  JUNGLE. QUENGUEZA  TAKEN  SICK. 

GIVES  A  LETTER  TO  HIS  NEPHEW. TAKING  LEAVE. 

TIME  passed  away.  In  the  mean  time  I  had  returned 
to  Washington,  that  beautiful  little  village  I  had  built 
near  the  sea-shore  on  the  banks  of  the  Fernand  Yaz  Riv- 
er. I  brought  down  the  innumerable  trophies  of  my 
wanderings  while  "  lost  in  the  jungle" — gorillas,  chim- 
panzees, kooloo-kamba,  and  other  animals ;  also  reptiles. 
The  birds  could  be  counted  by  thousands,  the  other  speci- 
imens  by  hundreds,  all  of  which  I  carefully  stored. 

Every  day  I  would  cross  the  tongue  of  land  separating 
the  Fernand  Yaz  from  the  sea,  and  would  go  and  look 
at  the  deep  water  of  the  ocean.  My  eyes  would  try  to 
look  far  into  the  distance,  in  the  hope  of  spying  a  sail. 
There  was  no  vessel  for  me.  I  was  still  alone  on  that 
deserted  coast  of  the  Gulf  of  Guinea. 

I  loved  to  steal  away  from  Washington,  and  seat  my- 
self all  alone  on  the  shore,  and  look  at  the  big,  long,  roll- 
ing billows  of  the  surf  as  they  came  dashing  along,  white 
with  foam ;  the  booming  sound  they  gave  in  breaking 
Was  like  music  to  me.  It  was  so  nice  to  have  left  that 
everlasting  jungle ;  to  see  prairie  land  and  the  wide  ex- 
panse of  the  Atlantic;  to  look  at  the  sun  as  it  disap- 


AM  MADE  A  MAKA  OA.  143 

peared,  apparently  under  the  water.  How  grand  the 
spectacle  was !  I  loved  to  look  at  the  gulls,  to  hear  their 
shrill  cries,  for  these  cries  were  so  unlike  those  of  the 
birds  of  the  great  forest.  There  was  also  something  very 
invigorating  in  that  strong  sea  breeze  that  came  from  the 
south  and  southwest.  Beyond  the  breakers  I  could  see 
now  and  then  the  fins  of  some  huge  sharks  searching  for 
their  prey ;  sometimes  they  would  hardly  appear  to  move, 
at  other  times  they  swam  very  fast. 

The  time  had  not  yet  come  for  me  to  return  to  New 
York.  I  must  go  back  again  into  the  great  jungle ;  I 
must  discover  new  mountains,  new  rivers,  new  tribes  of 
people,  new  beasts,  and  new  birds;  I  must  have  more 
fights  with  gorillas,  more  elephant-hunting.  I  would  be 
so  glad  to  see  Querlaouen,  Malaouen,  and  Gambo. 

While  I  was  in  the  interior,  the  Commi  people,  in  great 
council,  had  made  me  a  makaga,  which  title  only  one 
man,  and  he  generally  the  best  hunter  and  bravest,  may 
bear.  The  office  of  the  makaga  is  to  lead  in  all  desper- 
ate frays.  He  is  the  avenger  of  blood.  If  any  one  has 
murdered  one  of  his  fellow-villagers,  and  the  murderer's 
townspeople  refuse  to  give  him  up  (which  almost  always 
happens,  for  they  think  it  a  shame  to  surrender  any  one 
who  has  taken  refuge  with  them),  then  it  is  the  office  of 
the  makaga  to  take  the  great  warriors  of  the  tribe,  to  at- 
tack and  destroy  the  village,  and  cut  off  the  heads  of  as 
many  people  as  he  can. 

If  any  one  is  suspected  of  being  a  wizard,  and  runs 
away  from  his  village,  it  is  the  business  of  the  makaga 
to  follow  and  capture  him.  In  that  case  he  is  a  kind  of 
sheriff.  In  fact,  he  has  to  see  that  the  laws  are  exe- 
cuted. 


144  LOST  IX  THE  JUNO LK 

It  was  only  among  the  Commi  that  I  heard  of  a  ma- 


So  you  may  conceive  I  did  not  care  to  be  a  makaga, 
and  in  a  great  meeting  of  the  chiefs  I  declared  I  could 
not  be.  But  they  all  shouted, "  We  want  you,  the  great 
slayer  of  beasts,  to  be  our  makaga ;  we  want  you  to  stay 
with  us  all  the  time." 

I  was  getting  well  and  strong  again,  for  I  had  taken  a 
long  rest.  I  concluded  I  must  go  again  into  the  jungle. 

My  good  friend  Ranpano  said,  "  Why  do  you  wish  to 
go  back  into  the  forest  ?  If  you  go  again  to  countries 
where  not  one  black  man  has  ever  gone  before,  we  shall 
never  see  you  again.  I  have  heard  that  the  people  want 
you ;  they  only  desire  to  kill  you,  for  they  want  to  get 
your  skull ;  they  want  to  make  a  fetich  of  your  hair. 
They  have  many  fetiches,  but  they  want  one  from  your 
hair  and  brain.  We  love  you ;  you  are  our  white  man. 
What  you  tell  us  to  do,  we  do.  When  you  say  it  is 
wrong,  we  do  not  do  it.  We  take  care  of  your  house, 
your  goats,  your  fowls,  your  parrots,  your  monkeys,  and 
your  antelopes;"  then  shouted  with  a  loud  voice,  "We 
love  you !" 

To  which  all  the  people  answered, "  Yes,  we  love  him. 
He  is  our  white  man,  and  we  have  no  other  white  man." 

Then  the  king  continued:  "We  know  that  writing 
talks ;  write  to  us,  therefore,  a  letter  to  prove  to  your 
friends,  if  you  do  not  come  back,  that  we  have  not  hurt 
you ;  so  that  when  a  vessel  from  the  white-man  country 
comes,  we  can  show  your  letter  to  the  white  men." 
These  poor  people  had  an  idea  that  every  white  man 
must  know  me  like  they  knew  me. 

Finally,  when  they  saw  I  was  bound  to  go  once  more 


^  UENG  UEZA  IS  VEE  Y  ILL.  145 

to  the  jungle,  they  gave  me  up,  all  exclaiming  in  accents 
of  wonder, "  Ottangani  angani  (man  of  the  white  men), 
what  is  the  matter  with  you  that  you  have  no  fear?  God 
gave  you  the  heart  of  a  leopard ;  you  were  born  without 
fear!" 

Just  as  I  was  making  the  final  preparations  for  my 
departure,  a  great  trial  came  upon  me.  Quengueza,  who 
had  accompanied  me  to  the  coast,  became  dangerously 
ill.  There  were  murmurs  among  the  up-river  people. 

I  began  to  despair  of  his  life.  All  the  medicine  I 
gave  him  seemed  for  a  while  to  do  him  no  good,  and  he 
became  thinner  and  thinner  every  day,  till  at  last  he 
looked  almost  like  a  skeleton. 

How  anxious  I  felt !  Was  my  great  and  beloved  Af- 
rican friend  to  die  ?  What  would  the  people  say  ?  for  I 
had  brought  him  down  from  his  country.  They  would 
surely  say  that  I  had  killed  their  king.  I  could  not  make 
out  what  would  be  the  end  if  so  great  a  misfortune  was 
to  happen.  The  murmurs  of  the  people,  which  had  al- 
ready began,  caused  me  sad  forebodings  of  the  future. 

But  there  was  still  a  bright  spot. 

Quengueza  knew  that,  even  if  I  could,  I  would  not 
make  him  ill ;  he  knew  I  loved  him  too  well,  and  every 
day  he  would  declare  that  whoever  said  that  I  had  made 
him  ill  was  a  liar.  And  one  morning  I  heard  him  pro- 
test that  the  man  who  would  say  that  his  friend  Chally 
had  made  him  ill  was  a  wizard.  Of  course,  after  such 
talk,  the  people  took  good  care  to  keep  their  tongues 
quiet. 

Finally  he  got  better  and  better,  and  became  stronger 
What  a  load  of  anxiety  was  removed  from  my  mind  1 

I  felt  that  I  must  go  now ;  the  rainy  season  was  com* 
10 


146  L OST  IN  THE  JUNGLE. 

ing  on.  Quengueza  was  not  strong  enough;  besides, he 
wanted  to  remain,  for  he  had  business  to  transact  with 
some  of  the  sea-shore  chiefs  after  he  was  well  enough  to 
go  about. 

So  Quengueza  called  one  of  his  nephews  of  the  name 
of  Rapero,  and  as  these  people  do  not  write,  he  gave  him 
"  his  mouth ;"  that  is  to  say,  he  sent  word  to  his  brother, 
or,  as  I  discovered  after,  to  his  nephew,  who  reigned  in 
his  stead  in  Goumbi,  to  give  me  as  many  people  as  I 
wanted ;  and  he  ordered  that  his  nephew  Adouma  must 
be  the  chief  of  the  party  who  were  to  accompany  me  in 
the  Ashira  country,  and  to  take  me  to  Olenda,  the  king 
of  that  people. 

My  dear  little  Commi  boy  Macondai  was  to  come  with 
me,  and  he  was  the  only  one  at  the  sea-side  Quengueza 
would  allow  to  return. 

Then,  when  all  was  ready  for  our  departure,  I  went  to 
bid  good -by  to  my  two  best  friends  in  Africa,  King 
Ranpano  and  King  Quengueza.  I  have  told  you  before 
how  much  I  loved  King  Quengueza,  the  great  chief  of 
the  Rembo  River.  In  the  presence  of  all  the  people, 
having  his  idol  by  his  side,  covered  with  the  chalk  of  the 
Alumbi,  he  took  my  two  hands  in  his,  the  palms  of  our 
hands  touching  each  other.  Then  he  invoked  the  spirits 
of  his  ancestor  Kombd  Ricati  Ratenou,  and  of  his  moth- 
er Niavi,  marking  me  on  the  forehead  with  the  mpeshou 
(ochre)  of  his  mother  Niavi ;  then  he  invoked  her  spirit, 
for  his  sake,  to  protect  me,  his  great  friend.  He  invoked, 
also,  the  spirits  of  his  ancestors  who  had  done  great  deeds 
to  follow  me  once  more  in  the  jungle  where  he  and  his 
people  had  never  been,  so  that  no  one  could  hurt  me. 

There  was  a  dead  silence  when  the  old  chief  spoke. 


SPIRITS  TO  FOLLOW Z[E. 


147 


BIDDING   GOOD-BT   TO   QUENGUEZ.V 


After  pausing  a  while,  he  took  a  piece  of  wild  cane, 
which  he  chewed ;  then  put  in  his  mouth  a  little  piece  of 
the  mpeshou,  and  chewed  the  two  together.  He  then 
spat  the  stuff  he  had  chewed  on  me  and  round  me,  still 
holding  my  hands,  upon  which  he  breathed  gently  and 
said, "  May  the  spirits  of  my  ancestors,  as  the  wind  that 
I  have  blown  upon  you,  follow  you  wherever  you  go." 
And  then  he  shouted  with  a  tremendous  voice, "  Niavi, 
Kombd  Ricati  Ratenou,  be  with  my  white  man  in  the 
jungle  where  he  goes  I" 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 

DEPARTURE. ARRIVAL  AT  GOUMBI. — THE  PEOPLE  ASK  FOB 

THE  KING. A  DEATH  PANIC  IN  GOUMBI. A  DOCTOR  SENT 

FOR. DEATH  TO  THE  ANIEMBAS. THREE  WOMEN  AC- 
CUSED.  THEY  ARE  TRIED  AND  KILLED. 

AFTER  receiving  Quengueza's  blessing  I  jumped  in 
our  canoe,  and  soon  the  merry  sound  of  the  paddles  was 
heard,  and  once  more  I  ascended  the  river.  The  breeze 
was  fresh,  the  tide  was  coming  in,  and  every  thing  was 
in  our  favor. 

The  sickness  of  Quengueza  had  delayed  me  so  much 
that  it  was  now  October.  We  were  in  the  middle  of  the 
rainy  season,  and  it  was  not  very  comfortable  weather 
for  traveling. 

My  outfit  was  composed  chiefly  of  powder,  shot,  bul- 
lets, beads,  looking-glasses,  bracelets  of  brass  and  copper, 
and  a  lot  of  trinkets  for  presents,  and  also  some  fine 
pieces  of  prints  and  silks,  with  a  few  shirts  and  coats,  for 
the  chiefs.  I  had  also  a  clock  and  a  musical  box. 

When  we  reached  Goumbi,  the  head  village  of  Quen- 
gueza's dominions,  we  were  pretty  well  tired  out,  for  on 
our  way  we  had  encountered  two  very  heavy  rain-storms, 
preceded  each  by  a  tornado.  The  people,  not  seeing  him 
with  me,  asked  after  their  king,  Quengueza,  crying  out, 
"  Our  king  went  with  you,  why  have  you  not  brought  him 
back  ?  When  he  went  with  you  he  was  well,  why  has  ha 
been  sick?" 


SICKNESS  OF  ZfPOJkfO.  149 

Then  one  of  the  king's  nephews  gave  me  Quengueza's 
house,  and  Mombon,  his  head  slave,  came  to  receive  my 
orders.  Old  friend  Etia  came  also,  and  I  was  delighted 
to  see  him. 

Toward  sunset  I  heard  a  good  deal  of  drumming,  and 
songs  being  sung  to  Abambou  and  Mbuiri.  I  knew  at 
once  by  these  songs  that  somebody  was  very  sick.  It 
proved  to  be  Mpomo,  one  of  the  nephews  of  the  king. 
Mpomo  was  a  great  friend  of  mine ;  his  wives  and  his 
people  had  always  given  me  plenty  of  food,  and  if  you 
have  not  heard  of  him  before,  it  is  because  he  was  neither 
a  hunter,  a  man  of  the  jungle,  nor  a  warrior. 

I  was  asked  to  go  and  see  him.  The  people  had  spent 
the  night  before  drumming  by  the  side  of  the  bed  where 
he  lay,  to  drive  the  Abambou  and  the  aniemba  away ; 
that  is  to  say,  the  devil  and  witchcraft.  On  entering  the 
hut,  I  was  shocked  at  the  appearance  of  my  old  friend. 
I  could  see,  by  his  dim  eyes,  that  ne  was  soon  to  die,  and 
as  I  took  hold  of  his  wrist  and  touched  his  pulse,  I  found 
it  so  weak  that  I  was  afraid  he  could  scarcely  live  through 
the  approaching  night.  As  he  saw  me,  he  extended  his 
hands  toward  me  (for  I  had  taught  these  people  to  shake 
hands),  and  said,  in  such  a  pitiful  and  low  voice, "  Chally, 
save  me,  for  I  am  dying !" 

In  his  hut  and  outside  of  it  were  hundreds  of  people, 
most  of  them  moved  to  tears,  for  they  were  afraid  that 
their  friend,  one  of  the  leading  men  of  the  tribe,  and  one 
of  the  nephews  of  their  king,  was  going  to  die.  His 
wives  were  by  his  bedside,  and  watched  him  intently. 

I  said  to  him,  "  Mpomo,  I  am  not  God ;  I  am  unable 
to  make  a  tree  turn  into  a  fish  or  an  animal.  I  am  a 
man,  and  my  life  is  in  the  hands  of  God,  as  yours  is. 


150  L OST  IN  THE  JUNGLE. 

You  must  ask  God,  and  not  your  fetiches,  to  make  yon 
•well."  Unfortunately,  they  all  thought  I  could  make 
him  well.  His  friends  insisted  that  I  should  give  him 
medicine.  At  last  I  gave  him  some.  In  that  country 
I  was  afraid  to  give  medicine  to  men  who  were  very 
sick.  This  will  seem  strange  to  you,  but  you  will  not 
wonder  at  it  when  I  tell  you  that  these  savages  are  very 
superstitious.  If  the  sick  person  got  well  after  I  had 
given  him  the  medicine,  it  was  all  right ;  but  if  he  got 
worse,  then  I  was  blamed,  for  they  said, "  If  he  had  not 
taken  the  medicine  of  the  white  man  instead  of  our  own, 
he  would  have  got  well." 

I  warned  them  that  I  thought  Mpomo  could  not  get 
well.  I  loved  him  as  well  as  they  did,  and  felt  very  sor- 
ry. But  they  all  replied,  with  one  voice,  "  ^pomo  will 
not  die  unless  somebody  has  bewitched  him." 

Early  the  next  morning,  just  before  daybreak,  the  wail- 
ings  and  mournful  songs  of  the  natives  rent  the  air.  The 
whole  village  was  in  lamentation.  Poor  Mpomo  had  just 
died ;  he  had  gone  to  his  long  rest.  He  had  died  a  poor 
heathen,  believing  in  idols,  witchcraft,  fetiches,  and  in 
evil  and  good  spirits. 

How  mournful  were  their  cries!  "All  is  done  with 
Mpomo !  We  shall  never  see  him  again !  He  will  never 
speak  to  us  any  more !  We  shall  not  see  him  paddle  his 
canoe  any  more !  He  will  walk  no  more  in  the  village !" 

At  the  last  moment,  when  a  Commi  man  is  dying,  his 
head  wife  comes  and  throws  herself  beside  him  on  his 
bed,  and  surrounds  his  body  with  her  arms,  telling  him 
that  she  loves  him,  and  begging  him  not  to  die.  As  if 
the  poor  man  wanted  to  die ! 

I  immediately  went  to  Mpomo's  hut.     I  saw  his  poor 


THE  PEOPLE  AFRAID  OF  EACH  OTHER.      \^\ 

wives  in  tears  sitting  upon  the  ground,  throwing  moist- 
ened ashes  and  dust  over  their  bodies,  shaving  their  hair, 
and  tearing  the  clothes  they  wore  into  rags.  Now  and 
then  they  took  the  lifeless  body  of  poor  Mporao  in  their 
arms ;  at  other  times  they  would  kneel  at  his  motionless 
feet,  and  implore  him  to  open  his  eyes  and  look  at 
them. 

As  soon  as  the  news  of  Mpomo's  death  spread  in  the 
village,  there  was  great  excitement  from  one  end  of  it 
to  the  other.  Fear  was  on  every  face ;  each  man  and 
woman  thought  death  was  soon  to  overtake  them.  Each 
one  dreaded  his  neighbor ;  fathers  dreaded  their  sons  and 
their  wives ;  the  sons  their  fathers  and  mothers ;  brothers 
and  sisters  were  in  fear  of  each  other.  A  panic  of  the 
wildest  kind  had  spread  among  the  people  of  Goumbi ; 
neither  men  nor  women  were  in  their  senses.  They  fan- 
cied themselves  surrounded  by  the  shadow  of  death,  and 
they  saw  it  ready  to  get  hold  of  them  and  carry  them 
away  to  that  last  sleep  of  which  they  were  so  afraid. 

The  people  talked  of  nothing  but  witchcraft,  of  wiz- 
ards, and  witches.  They  were  sure  that  Mpomo  had  been 
bewitched. 

Two  days  elapsed  before  Mpomo  was  buried,  and  then 
a  large  canoe  came,  and  Mpomo's  relatives  took  the  body 
down  the  river,  where  the  cemetery  of  the  Abouya  clan 
Was  situated.  This  cemetery  was  some  fifty  miles  down 
the  river,  beyond  Quayombi. 

As  the  body  was  placed  in  the  canoe,  the  people  of  the 
whole  village  mourned.  The  shrieks  of  his  wives  were 
heart-rending,  and  it  was,  who  should  show  the  greatest 
sorrow  among  the  people ;  for  every  one  was  afraid  of 
being  accused  of  aniemba  (sorcery)  ;  for  if  they  did  not 


152  LOST  IN  THE  JUNGLE. 

appear  very  sorry,  they  would  be  sure  to  be  suspected  of 
being  aniembas  (sorcerers). 

Immediately  after  the  departure  of  the  funeral  pro- 
cession, every  man  came  out  armed  to  the  teeth,  their 
faces  betokening  angry  fear,  all  shouting  and  screaming, 
"  There  are  people  among  us  who  kill  other  people.  Let 
us  find  them  out.  Let  us  kill  them.  How  is  it — Mpomo 
was  well  a  few  days  ago,  and  now  Mpomo  is  dead  ?"  A 
canoe  was  then  immediately  dispatched  among  the  Ba- 
kalai  in  order  to  get  a  celebrated  doctor,  who  had  the 
reputation  of  being  able  to  discover  wizards  at  once. 

The  excitement  of  the  savages  became  extreme.  They 
wanted  blood.  They  wanted  to  find  victims.  They 
wanted  to  kill  somebody.  Old  and  young,  men  and 
women,  were  frantic  with  a  desire  for  revenge  on  the 
sorcerers. 

The  doctor  came.  The  people  surrounded  him,  shout- 
Ing,  "  We  have  wizards  among  us.  We  have  sent  for  you 
to  find  them.  Do  find  them  out,  for  if  you  do  not,  our 
people  will  be  dying  all  the  time." 

Then  the  mboundou  was  prepared.  I  have  described 
it  to  you  before,  and  how  it  is  prepared.  The  doctor 
drank  a  big  cup  of  it  in  one  draught. 

Oh  how  his  body  trembled;  how  his  eyes  afterward 
became  bloodshot,  his  veins  enlarged.  How  the  people 
looked  at  him  with  bloodthirsty  eyes,  and  with  mouths 
wide  open. 

Every  man  and  boy  was  armed,  some  with  spears, 
sopae  with  swords,  some  with  guns  loaded  to  the  muzzle, 
some  with  axes  and  huge  knives,  and  on  every  face  I 
could  see  a  determination  to  wreak  a  bloody  revenge  on 
those  who  should  be  pointed  out  as  the  criminals.  The 


THE  SORCERESS  MUST  BE  KILLED.  153 

whole  people  were  possessed  with  an  indescribable  fury 
and  horrid  thirst  for  human  blood. 

I  shall  never  forget  the  sight.  There  I  stood,  alone  in 
the  midst  of  this  infuriated  populace,  looking  at  those 
faces,  so  frightened,  but,  at  the  same  time,  so  thirsty  for 
blood.  A  cold  shudder  ran  through  me,  for  I  knew  not 
what  would  come  next.  I  knew  not  but  the  whole  vil- 
lage of  Goumbi  might  be  deluged  in  blood.  1  am  sure 
you  would  have  felt  as  I  did. 

For  the  first  time  my  voice  was  without  authority  in 
Goumbi.  No  one  wanted  to  hear  me  when  I  said  that 
nobody  must  be  killed ;  that  there  were  no  such  things 
as  sorcerers.  "  Chally,  we  are  not  the  same  people  you 
are.  Our  country  is  full  of  witchcraft.  Death  to  the 
wizards !"  shouted  they  all,  in  tones  which  made  the  vil- 
lage shake.  "  Death  to  the  aniembas  /" 

They  were  all  surrounding  the  doctor,  as  I  have  said 
before,  when,  at  a  motion  from  the  stranger,  the  people 
became  at  once  very  still.  Not  a  whisper  could  be  heard. 
How  oppressed  I  felt  as  I  looked  on.  This  sudden  silence 
lasted  about  one  minute,  when  the  loud,  harsh  voice  of 
the  doctor  was  heard. 

The  people  did  not  seem  to  be  able  to  breathe,  for  no 
one  knew  if  his  name  would  be  the  one  that  should  be 
called,  and  he  be  accused  of  the  crime  of  witchcraft. 

"  There  is  a  very  black  woman — a  young  woman — who 
lives  in  a  house  having  one  door  only,  with  a  large  bunch 
of  lilies  growing  by  the  door.  Not  far  off  is  a  tree  to 
which  the  oyouloungou  birds  come  every  day." 

Scarcely  had  he  ended  when  the  crowd,  roaring  and 
screaming  like  so  many  beasts,  rushed  frantically  for  the 
place  indicated,  when,  to  my  horror,  I  saw  them  enter  the 


154  LOST  IN  THE  JUNGLE. 

hut  of  my  good  friend  Okandaga,  and  seize  the  poor  girlj 
who  looked  so  frightened  that  I  thought  she  had  lost  hei 
reason.  I  shouted  with  all  the  power  of  my  voice, "  You 
are  not  going  to  kill  the  beautiful  and  good  Okandaga— 
the  pride  and  beauty  of  the  village  ?  No,"  said  I,  "  you 
are  not  to  kill  her."  But  my  voice  was  drowned.  They 
dragged  her  from  her  hut,  and  waved  their  deadly  weap- 
ons over  her  head.  They  tore  her  off,  shouting  and  curs- 
ing, and  as  the  poor,  good  African  girl  passed  in  the 
hands  of  her  murderers,  I  thought  the  big  tree  behind 
which  1  was  looking  might  hide  me  from  her  view.  But 
lo !  she  saw  me,  and  with  a  terrible  shriek  she  cried,  ex- 
tending her  arms  toward  me,  "  Chally,  Chally,  do  not  let 
me  die.  Do  not  let  these  people  kill  me.  I  am  not  a 
witch.  1  have  not  killed  Mpomo.  Chally,  be  a  friend 
to  me.  You  know  how  I  have  taken  care  of  you — how 
I  have  given  you  food ;  how  often  I  have  given  you  wa- 
ter." 

I  trembled  all  over.  I  shook  like  a  reed.  It  was  a 
moment  of  terrible  agony  to  me.  The  blood  rushed  to- 
ward my  head.  I  seized  my  gun  and  one  of  my  revolv- 
ers which  was  in  my  belt.  I  had  a  mind  to  fire  into 
the  crowd — shoot  people  right  and  left — send  dismay 
among  them — rescue  dear  and  kind  Okandaga,  who  was 
now  poor  and  helpless — who  had  not  a  friend ;  put  her 
in  a  canoe,  and  carry  her  down  the  river.  But  then,  run 
away — where  ?  I  too  would  have  murdered  people.  Per- 
haps some  of  the  nephews  of  my  friend  Quengueza 
would  be  among  those  I  should  kill.  Then  what  should 
I  say  to  Quengueza  ?  They  were  too  frantic  and  crazed. 
The  end  would  have  been,  I  should  have  been  murder- 
ed without  saving  the  life  of  Okandaga.  How  I  cried 


156  L  OST  IN  THE  JUNGLE. 

that  same  evening.  I  remember  it  so  well.  I  cried  like 
a  child  I  would  have  given  all  I  had  to  save  Okanda- 
ga's  life. 

«  After  all,"  said  I  to  myself,  «  what  am  I  ?" 

They  took  her  toward  the  banks  of  the  Rembo  and 
bound  her  with  cords. 

Quengueza,  as  you  know,  was  not  in  Goumbi.  How 
much  I  wished  he  had  been. 

Presently  silence  fell  again  upon  the  crowd.  Then 
the  harsh  and  demon-like  voice  of  the  doctor  once  more 
rang  over  the  town.  It  seemed  to  me  like  the  hoarse 
croak  of  some  death-foretelling  raven. 

"  There  is  an  old  woman  not  far  from  the  king's  place. 
She  lives  in  a  long  and  narrow  house,  and  just  in  front 
of  the  house  are  plantain-trees  which  come  from  the 
sprouts  which  were  planted  by  Oganda,  the  king's  eldest 
brother,  who  is  now  dead.  There  is  also,  back  of  her 
house,  a  lime-tree  which  is  now  covered  with  fruit.  She 
has  bewitched  Mpomo." 

Again  the  crowd  rushed  off.  This  time  they  seized  a 
princess,  a  niece  of  King  Quengueza,  a  noble-hearted  and 
rather  majestic  old  woman.  As  they  crowded  about  her 
with  flaming  eyes  and  threats  of  death,  she  rose  proudly 
from  the  ground,  looked  them  in  the  face  unflinchingly, 
and,  motioning  them  to  keep  their  hands  off  her,  said, "  I 
will  drink  the  mboundou,  for  I  am  not  a  witch ;  and  woe 
to  my  accusers  if  I  do  not  die !" 

The  crowd  shouted  and  vociferated.  Then  she  too 
was  escorted  to  the  river,  but  was  not  bound.  She  sub- 
mitted to  all  without  a  tear  or  a  murmur  for  mercy ;  she 
was  too  proud.  Belonging  directly  to  the  families  of  the 
chiefs  of  the  Abouya  tribes  from  times  of  which  they 


ONE  MORE  VICTIM.  1 5  f 

had  no  record,  she  wanted  to  show  that  she  was  not 
afraid  of  death.  Pride  was  in  her  features,  and  she 
looked  haughtily  at  her  accusers,  who  left  a  strong  guard, 
and  then  went  back  to  the  doctor. 

Again,  a  third  time,  the  dreadful  silence  fell  upon  the 
town,  and  the  doctor's  voice  was  heard. 

Oh  how  I  hated  that  voice ! 

"  There  is  a  woman  with  six  children — she  lives  on  a 
plantation  toward  the  rising  sun  —  she  too  bewitched 
Mpomo." 

Again  there  was  a  furious  shout,  and  the  whole  town 
seemed  to  shake  under  the  uproar  of  voices  clamoring 
for  vengeance.  A  large  squad  of  people  rushed  toward 
a  plantation  not  far  from  the  village.  They  returned 
soon  after,  appearing  frantic,  as  if  they  were  all  crazy, 
and  went  toward  the  bank  of  the  river,  dragging  with 
them  one  of  King  Quengueza's  slaves,  a  good  woman 
who  many  and  many  a  time  had  brought  me  baskets  of 
ground-nuts,  bunches  of  bananas,  and  plantains.  Her 
they  took  to  where  the  two  others  were. 

Then  the  doctor  descended  the  street  of  the  village. 
How  fierce  he  looked !  He  wore  round  his  waist  a  belt 
made  from  the  skin  of  a  leopard ;  on  his  neck  he  wore 
the  horn  of  an  antelope,  filled  with  charmed  powder,  and 
hanging  from  it  was  a  little  bell.  Round  his  belt  hung 
long  feathers  of  the  ogouloungou  bird  ;  on  his  wrists  he 
wore  bracelets  made  from  the  bones  of  snakes ;  while 
round  his  neck  were  several  cords,  to  which  were  attach- 
ed skins  of  wild  animals,  tails  of  monkeys,  leopards'  and 
monkeys'  teeth,  scales  of  pangolins,  and  curious-looking 
dry  leaves  mingled  with  land  and  river  shells.  His  face 
was  painted  red,  his  eyebrows  white,  and  all  over  his  body 


|58  L  OST  IN  THE  JUNGLE. 

were  scattered  white  and  yellow  spots.  His  teeth  were 
filed  to  a  point,  and  altogether  he  looked  horrid.  I  wish 
I  could  have  shot  that  monster ;  but  then  they  all  think 
alike — they  all  believe  in  witchcraft.  He  approached 
the  women,  and  the  crowd  surrounded  them. 

Silence  again  succeeded  to  that  great  uproar;  the  wind 
seemed  to  whisper  through  the  boughs  of  the  trees ;  the 
tranquil  river  glided  down,  whose  waters  were  soon  to 
be  stained  with  blood. 

In  a  loud  voice  the  doctor  recited  the  crime  of  which 
the  three  women  were  accused.  Then,  pointing  to  Okan- 
daga,  he  said  that  she  had,  a  few  weeks  before,  asked 
Mpomo  for  some  salt,  he  being  her  relative.  "  Salt 
was  scarce,"  said  he,  looking  toward  the  frantic  multi- 
tude, "and  Mpomo  refused  her;  she  said  unpleasant 
words  to  him,  for  she  was  angry  that  he  had  refused  her 
salt.  Then  she  vowed  to  bewitch  him,  and  had  succeed  • 
ed,  and  by  sorcery  had  taken  his  life." 

The  people  shouted,  "  Oh,  Okandaga,  that  is  the  way 
you  do — you  kill  people  because  they  do  not  give  you 
what  you  ask.  You  shall  drink  the  mboundou !  That 
sweet  face  of  yours  is  that  of  a  witch.  Ah !  ah !  ah  I 
and  we  did  not  know  it." 

The  crime  of  Quengueza's  niece  came  next  to  be  told. 
She  had  been  jealous  of  Mpomo  for  a  long  time  because 
he  had  children  and  she  had  none.  She  envied  him; 
therefore  jealousy  and  envy  took  possession  of  her,  and 
she  bewitched  him. 

The  people  screamed,  "  How  could  a  woman  be  so 
wicked  as  to  kill  a  man  because  he  had  children  and  she 
had  none !  We  will  give  you  mboundou  to  drink,  and 
we  will  see  if  you  are  not  a  witch." 


THE  WOMEN  LED  TO  THE  RIVER.  159 

Quengueza's  slave  had  asked  Mpomo  for  a  looking- 
glass.  He  had  refused  her,  and  therefore  she  had  killed 
him  with  sorcery  also. 

As  each  accusation  was  recited  the  people  broke  out 
in  curses.  Each  one  rivaled  his  neighbor  in  cursing  the 
victims,  fearful  lest  lukewarmness  in  the  ceremony  should 
expose  him  to  a  like  fate.  So  Okandaga's  father,  moth- 
er, brother,  and  sisters  joined  in  the  curses.  The  king's 
niece  was  cursed  by  her  brothel's  and  sons,  and  the  poor 
slave  by  every  body.  It  was  a  fearful  scene  to  contem- 
plate. 

Then  a  passage  was  formed  in  the  vast  crowd,  and  the 
three  women  were  led  to  the  river,  where  a  large  canoe 
was  in  waiting.  The  executioners  went  in  first,  then  the 
women,  the  doctor,  and  a  number  of  people  well  armed 
with  huge  knives  and  axes. 

By  this  time  the  sweat  ran  down  my  face.  I  must  have 
been  deadly  pale  as  I  followed  each  motion  of  these  people. 

Then  the  tam-tams  beat,  and  the  proper  persons  pre- 
pared the  mboundou. 

Quabi,  Mpomo's  eldest  brother,  who  was  to  inherit  all 
of  Mpomo's  property,  held  the  poisoned  cup.  At  sight  of 
it  poor  Okandaga  began  again  to  cry,  and  Quengueza's 
niece  turned  pale  in  the  face,  for  even  the  negro  face  at 
such  times  attains  a  pallor  which  is  quite  perceptible. 
Three  other  canoes,  full  of  armed  men,  surrounded  that 
in  which  the  victims  were. 

A  mug  full  of  mboundou  was  then  handed  to  the 
old  slave  woman,  next  to  the  royal  niece,  and  last  to  the 
young  and  kind  Okandaga.  As  they  drank,  the  multi- 
tude shouted, "  If  they  are  witches,  let  the  mboundou  kill 
them ;  if  they  are  innocent,  let  the  mboundou  go  out  1" 


160  L  OST  IN  THE  JUNGLE. 

It  was  the  most  exciting  scene  in  my  life.  My  arrival 
in  the  cannibal  country  was  as  nothing  compared  with 
this.  Though  horror  froze  my  blood,  my  eyes  were  riv- 
eted upon  the  spectacle.  I  could  not  help  it.  Suddenly 
the  slave  fell  down.  She  had  not  touched  the  boat's  bot- 
tom before  her  head  was  hacked  off  by  a  dozen  rude 
swords,  the  people  shouting  "  Kill  her !  kill  her !"  Next 
came  Quengueza's  niece.  In  an  instant  her  head  was  off, 
and  her  blood  was  dyeing  the  waters  of  the  river. 

During  all  this  time  my  eyes  had  been  riveted  on  poor 
Okandaga.  I  hoped  that  she  would  not  fall,  but  soon 
she  too  staggered,  and  struggled,  and  cried,  vainly  resist- 
ing the  effects  of  the  poison  in  her  system.  There  was 
a  dead  silence — the  executioners  themselves  were  still — • 
for  Okandaga  was  the  belle  of  the  village,  and  had  more 
lovers  than  any  body  else ;  but,  alas !  she  finally  fell,  and 
in  an  instant  her  head  was  hewn  off. 

Then  all  was  confusion.  In  an  incredibly  short  space 
of  time  the  bodies  were  cut  in  pieces  and  thrown  in  the 
river. 

I  became  dizzy ;  my  eyes  wandered  about ;  the  perspi- 
ration fell  down  from  my  face  in  big  drops;  I  could 
hardly  breathe,  and  I  thought  I  would  fall  insensible. 
One  scene  more  like  this,  and  I  should  have  become 
mad.  The  image  of  poor  Okandaga  was  before  me, 
begging  me  to  save  her.  I  retired  to  my  hut,  but  it  felt 
go  hot  inside  that  I  could  not  stay. 

When  all  was  over,  the  crowd  dispersed  without  say- 
ing a  word ;  the  clamor  ceased,  and  for  the  rest  of  the 
day  the  village  was  silent. 

In  the  evening  my  friend  Adouma,  uncle  of  Okanda- 
ga, came  secret!  v  to  nay  house  to  tell  me  how  sorry  he 


AD  0  UMA  S  REGRETS.  161 

was  that  Okandaga  had  been  killed.  He  said, "  Chailly, 
I  was  compelled  to  take  part  in  the  dreadful  scene.  I 
was  obliged  to  curse  Okandaga,  but  what  my  mouth 
said  my  heart  denied.  If  I  had  acted  otherwise  I  should 
have  been  a  dead  man  before  now." 

I  then  spoke  to  Adouma  of  the  true  God,  and  told  him 
that  nothing  in  the  world  lasted  forever.  Men,  women, 
and  children  died,  just  as  he  saw  young  and  old  trees  die. 
Often  a  young  tree  would  die  before  an  old  one.  Hence 
young  men  and  young  women  would  frequently  die  be 
fore  older  ones* 


CHAPTER  XIX. 

4JUENGUEZA  ORDERS  ILOGO  TO  BE  CONSULTED  ABOUT  HIS  ILL- 
NESS.  WHAT  THE  PEOPLE  THINK  OF  ILOGO. A  NOCTUR- 
NAL SEANCE. SONG  TO  ILOGO. A  FEMALE  MEDIUM. 

WHAT   ILOGO   SAID. 

WHAT  a  strange  village  Goumbi  is !  It  is  well  that  I 
•am  the  friend  of  King  Quengueza.  The  people  are  so 
superstitious.  We  had  hardly  got  over  the  affair  of 
witchcraft  when  the  people  declared  they  must  find 
some  means  of  ascertaining  the  cause  of  the  king's  suf- 
ferings. Quengueza  had  sent  word  himself  that  his  peo- 
ple must  try  to  find  out  from  Ilogo  why  he  was  sick,  and 
what  he  must  do  for  his  recovery. 

Ilogo  is  believed  by  the  people  to  be  a  spirit  living 
in  the  moon — a  mighty  spirit,  who  looks  down  upon 
the  inhabitants  of  the  earth — a  spirit  to  whom  the  black 
man  can  talk.  "  Yes,"  they  said,  "  Logo's  face  can  be 
seen ;  look  at  it."  Then  they  pointed  out  to  me  the  spots 
on  the  moon  which  we  can  see  with  our  naked  eye. 
These  spots  were  the  indistinct  features  of  the  spirit. 

One  fine  evening,  at  full  moon  (for,  to  consult  Ilogo, 
the  moon  must  be  full,  or  nearly  so),  the  women  of  the 
village  assembled  in  front  of  the  king's  house.  Clustered 
close  together,  and  seated  on  the  ground,  with  their  faces 
turned  toward  the  moon,  they  sang  songs.  They  were 
surrounded  by  the  men  of  the  village.  I  shall  not  soon 


INVOCATION  TO  THE  MO  OX 


163 


forget  that  wild  scene.  The  sky  was  clear  and  beauti- 
ful ;  the  moon  shone  in  its  brightness,  eclipsing  by  its 
light  that  of  the  stars,  except  those  of  the  first  magni- 
tude ;  the  air  was  calm  and  serene,  and  the  shadows  of 
the  tall  trees  upon  the  earth  appeared  like  queer  phan- 
toms. 


8   TO   1LOOO. 


The  songs  of  the  women  were  to  and  in  praise  of  Ilo- 
go,  the  spirit  that  lived  in  ogouayli  (the  moon).  Pres- 
ently a  woman  seated  herself  in  the  centre  of  the  circle 
of  singers  and  began  a  solo,  gazing  steadfastly  at  the 
moon,  the  people  every  now  and  then  singing  in  chorus 
with  her.  She  was  to  be  inspired  by  the  spirit  Bogo  £o 
utter  prophecies. 


1 64  LOST  IN  THE  JUNGLE. 

At  last  she  gave  up  singing,  for  she  could  not  get  into 
a  trance.  Then  another  woman  took  her  place,  in  the 
midst  of  the  most  vociferous  singing  that  could  be  done 
by  human  lips.  After  a  while  the  second  woman  gave 
place  to  a  third — a  little  woman,  wiry  and  nervous.  She 
seated  herself  like  the  others,  and  looked  steadily  at  the 
moon,  crying  out  that  she  could  see  Hogo,  and  then  the 
singing  redoubled  in  fury.  The  excitement  of  the  peo- 
ple had  at  that  time  become  very  great ;  the  drums  beat 
furiously,  the  drummers  using  ?,11  their  strength,  until 
covered  with  perspiration ;  the  outsiders  shouted  madly, 
and  seemed  to  be  almost  out  of  their  senses,  for  their 
faces  were  wrinkled  in  nervous  excitement,  their  eyes 
perfectly  wild,  and  the  contortions  they  made  with  their 
bodies  indescribable. 

The  excitement  was  now  intense,  and  the  noise  horri- 
ble. The  songs  to  Ilogo  were  not  for  a  moment  discon- 
tinued, but  the  pitch  of  their  voices  was  so  great  and  so 
hoarse  that  the  words  at  last  seemed  to  come  with  diffi- 
culty. The  medium,  the  women,  and  the  men  all  sang 
with  one  accord : 

"  Ilogo,  we  ask  thee, 
Tell  who  has  bewitched  the  king ! 
Ilogo,  we  ask  thee, 
What  shall  we  do  to  cure  the  king  ? 
The  forests  are  thine,  Ilogo ! 
The  rivers  are  thine,  Ilogo ! 
The  moon  is  thine ! 
O  moon !  O  moon !  O  moon ! 
Thou  art  the  home  of  Ilogo ! 
Shall  the  king  die  ?    O  Ilogo ! 
O  Ilogo  I  O  moon !  O  moon !" 

These  words  were  repeated  over  and  over,  the  people 
getting  more  terribly  excited  as  they  went  on.  The 


ILOG&S  MESSAGE.  165 

woman  who  was  the  medium,  and  who  had  been  singing 
violently,  looked  toward  the  moon,  and  began  to  tremble. 
Her  nerves  twitched,  her  face  was  contorted,  her  muscles 
swelled,  and  at  last  her  limbs  straightened  out.  At  this 
time  the  wildest  of  all  wild  excitement  possessed  the  peo- 
ple. I  myself  looked  on  with  intense  curiosity.  She  fell 
on  her  back  on  the  ground,  insensible,  her  face  turned 
up  to  the  moon.  She  looked  as  if  she  had  died  in  a  fit. 

The  song  to  Bogo  continued  with  more  noise  than 
ever ;  but  at  last  comparative  quiet  followed,  compelled, 
I  believe,  by  sheer  exhaustion  from  excitement.  But  the 
people  were  all  gazing  intently  on  the  woman's  face. 

I  shall  not  forget  that  scene  by  moonlight,  nor  the 
corpse-like  face  of  that  woman,  so  still  and  calm.  How 
wild  it  all  looked!  The  woman,  who  lay  apparently 
dead  before  the  savages,  was  expected  at  this  time  to  see 
things  in  the  world  of  Ilogo — that  is  to  say,  the  moon — 
to  see  the  great  spirit  Bogo  himself ;  and,  as  she  lay  in- 
sensible, she  was  supposed  to  be  holding  intercourse  with 
him.  Then,  after  she  had  conversed  with  the  great  spirit 
Bogo,  she  would  awake,  and  tell  the  people  all  she  saw 
and  all  that  Ilogo  had  said  to  her. 

For  my  part,  I  thought  she  really  was  dead.  I  ap- 
proached her,  and  touched  her  pulse.  It  was  weak,  but 
there  was  life.  After  about  half  an  hour  of  insensibili- 
ty she  came  to  her  senses,  but  she  was  much  prostrated. 
She  seated  herself  without  rising,  looking  round  as  if 
stupefied.  She  remained  quite  silent  for  a  while,  and 
then  began  to  speak. 

"  I  have  seen  Ilogo,  I  have  spoken  to  Bogo.  Bogo  has 
told  me  that  Quengueza.  our  king,  shall  not  die ;  that 
Quengueza  is  going  to  li ve  a  long  time ;  that  Quengueza 


166  L  OST  IN  THE  JUNGLE. 

was  not  bewitched,  and  that  a  remedy  prepared  from 
euch  a  plant  (I  forget  the  name)  would  cure  him.  Then," 
she  added,  "I  went  to  sleep,  and  when  I  awoke  Ilogo  was 
gone,  and  now  I  find  myself  in  the  midst  of  you." 

The  people  then  quietly  separated,  as  by  that  time 
it  was  late,  and  all  retired  to  their  huts,  I  myself  going 
to  mine,  thinking  of  the  wild  scene  I  had  just  witnessed, 
and  feeling  that,  the  longer  I  remained  in  that  strange 
country,  the  more  strange  the  customs  of  the  people  ap- 
peared to  me.  Soon  all  became  silent,  and  nothing  but 
the  barking  of  the  watchful  little  native  dogs  broke  the 
Btillness  of  the  night.  The  moon  continued  to  shine 
over  that  village,  the  inhabitants  of  which  had  run  so 
wild  with  superstition. 


CHAPTER  XX. 


IT  DESERTED. QUEfCLAOUEN  DEAD. — HE  HAS  BEEN  KILLED 


NOB   GAMBO   AT   HOME. 

AFTER  a  few  days  thus  spent  in  Goumbi,  we  had  to 
get  ready  to  be  off. 

Adouma  made  the  preparations  for  our  journey ;  ca- 
noes were  lying  on  the  banks  of  the  river,  waiting  to 
carry  the  people  Quengueza  had  ordered  to  go  with  me. 
These  were,  for  the  most  part,  the  king's  slaves.  Plan- 
tains and  'cassava  had  been  gathered  for  our  journey. 
We  were  to  ascend  the  river  as  far  as  Obindji. 

One  fine  morning  we  started,  several  very  large  canoes- 
being  filled  with  men  who  were  to  escort  me. 

Adouma  was  in  my  canoe,  holding  a  large  paddle  as  a 
rudder.  We  were  in  a  canoe  which  was  chiefly  loaded 
with  my  outfit  and  presents. 

We  left  Goumbi  silently,  for  the  death  of  Mpomo- 
made  singing  out  of  order.  The  people  were  in  mourn- 
ing. 

Some  of  the  men  who  were  to  accompany  me  had  most 
curious  names,  such  as  Gooloo-Gani,  Biembia,  Agambie- 
Mo,  Jombai,  Monda,  Akondogo. 

The  day  became  exceedingly  hot  and  sultry,  and  to- 


168  LOST  IN  THE  JUNGLE. 

ward  evening  we  were  overtaken  by  a  terrible  storm  of 
wind  and  rain — a  real  tornado  burst  upon  us. 

The  next  morning  we  were  on  our  way  for  the  upper 
river. 

I  was  glad  I  was  about  to  see  my  old  friend  Querla- 
ouen  once  more.  I  was  also  to  see  my  other  friends, 
Malaouen  and  Gambo. 

I  had  nice  presents  for  Querlaouen,  and  pretty  beads 
for  his  wife  and  children.  Among  the  presents  for 
Querlaouen  was  a  handsome  gun  and  a  keg  of  powder 
for  shooting  elephants,  leopards,  gorilla,  and  all  sorts  of 
wild  game. 

As  we  ascended  the  river  I  recognized  the  point  on 
the  other  side  of  which  was  Querlaouen's  plantation.  I 
ordered  the  men  to  sing,  in  order  that  Querlaouen  might 
thus  hear  of  our  arrival.  The  nearer  we  came  to  the 
point  the  louder  became  the  beatings  of  my  heart.  To 
gee  old  Querlaouen,  with  whom  I  had  had  so  many 
pleasant  days ;  who  had  bravely  shared  all  kinds  of  dan- 
ger with  me,  including  hunger  and  starvation ;  with 
whom  I  had  slain  gorilla — I  was  in  a  hurry  to  give  to 
him  and  his  wife  their  presents.  To  see  such  a  friend 
was  indeed  to  have  a  great  treat. 

Our  canoes  soon  passed  the  point.  I  was  looking  ea- 
gerly, watching  for  somebody  on  the  river  bank.  No 
one !  Perhaps  our  songs  had  not  pierced  through  the 
woods.  The  wind  was  coming  from  an  opposite  direction. 

u  Sing  louder,"  I  exclaimed,  for  I  fancied  they  did  not 
sing  loud  enough.  They  looked  at  me  as  if  they  would 
have  said,  "  What's  the  matter  with  Chally,  he  looks  so 
excited  ?"  Little  did  they  know  my  feelings,  and  how 
tny  heart  beat  for  Querlaouen. 


Q  UERLA  0  UEN^S  VILLA  OE  DESERTED.  159 

They  sang  louder,  till  I  could  hear  the  echo  of  their 
voices  among  the  hills  that  surrounded  us.  I  looked, 
but  no  one  was  on  the  shore.  Querlaouen  might  have 
gone  hunting,  but  surely  his  wife,  or  brother,  or  some  of 
his  children  must  be  there.  All  was  silent. 

I  shouted  with  all  my  power,  "  Querlaouen,  your 
friend  Chally  has  come !  your  friend  Chally  has  come !" 
but  the  hills  sent  back  the  echo  of  my  voice  to  me.  I 
fired  a  gun,  and  the  echo  resounded  from  hill  to  hill,  and 
no  one  came.  I  began  to  feel  oppressed.  A  presenti- 
ment flashed  over  my  mind.  Was  Querlaouen  dead  ? 

At  last  I  landed  on  the  very  shore  where  Querlaouen 
lived.  Again  I  shouted, "  Querlaouen,  where  are  you  ?" 
I  called  his  wife.  The  silence  of  death  was  there. 

I  advanced,  but  lo !  when  I  reached  the  village,  it  was 
deserted.  Not  a  soul  was  seen.  The  jungle  was  the 
thickest  where  his  little  clearing  had  been.  The  houses 
had  tumbled  down.  Desolation  was  before  me.  The 
grass  had  grown  to  a  man's  height  in  the  little  street. 

What  a  pang  of  sorrow  shot  through  my  heart !  I 
could  not  help  it.  I  shouted,  "  Querlaouen !  my  friend 
Querlaouen,  what  has  become  of  you  ?  You  are  not  dead, 
are  you?"  and  I  looked  with  profound  sadness  on  the 
Bcene  around.  Days  that  had  passed  came  to  my  mem- 
ory. 

I  retraced  my  steps,  disappointed,  and  with  a  forebod 
ing  heart.  On  the  river  bank,  just  as  I  was  on  the  point 
of  stepping  into  the  canoe,  a  Bakalai  came  out  from  the 
jungle.  He  had  recognized  me,  and  came  to  meet  me. 

As  soon  as  I  saw  him,  I  cried  out, "  Where  is  friend 
Querlaouen  2"  His  answer  seemed  so  long  in  coming— 
"Deadl" 


1 70  LOST  IN  THE  JUNGLE. 

"  Dead !"  I  exclaimed ;  "  Querlaouen  dead !"  and,  I 
could  not  help  it,  two  tears  rolled  down  my  cheeks. 

"  Querlaouen  dead !"  I  repeated  again.  The  recollec- 
tion of  that  good  and  noble  savage  flashed  upon  me  as 
fast  as  thought  can  flash,  and  once  more  and  in  a  low 
voice  I  said, "  Dead !  Querlaouen  dead !" 

When  I  became  composed  again,  I  asked,  "  How  did 
he  die?" 

"  One  day,"  said  the  Bakalai  man,  "  a  few  moons  ago 
— it  was  in  the  dry  season — Querlaouen  took  his  gun 
and  a  slave  along  with  him,  and  went  out  into  the  woods 
to  hunt  after  an  elephant  which  had  the  day  before  de- 
stroyed a  whole  plantation  of  plantain-trees,  and  had 
trampled  down  almost  a  whole  patch  of  sugar-cane.  His 
slave,  who  accompanied  him,  but  had  left  him  for  a  few 
minutes  to  look  at  one  of  the  plantations  close  by,  heard 
the  report  of  Querlaouen's  gun.  He  waited  for  his  re- 
turn, but  Querlaouen  did  not  come  back.  He  waited  so 
long  that  he  began  to  feel  anxious,  and  at  last  set  out  to 
seek  him.  He  found  him  in  the  forest  dead,  and  tram- 
pled into  a  shapeless  mass  by  the  beast,  which  he  had 
wounded  mortally,  but  which  had  strength  enough  to 
rush  at  and  kill  its  enemy.  Not  far  from  Querlaouen 
lay  the  elephant,  dead." 

How  poor  Querlaouen,  who  was  so  prudent  a  hunter, 
could  have  been  caught  by  the  elephant,  I  could  not 
learn. 

The  man  said  it  was  an  aniemba  (witchcraft)  that  had 
killed  Querlaouen;  that  Querlaouen's  brother  had  be- 
witched him,  and  caused,  by  witchcraft,  the  elephant  to 
trample  upon  him. 

The  brother  was  killed  by  the  mboundou  which  the 


/  LOVE  TO  THINK  OF  QUERLAOUEN.  \*j\ 

people  made  him  drink ;  for  they  said  his  brother  made 
him  go  hunt  that  day,  when  he  knew  the  elephant  would 
kill  him. 

That  family,  who  really  loved  each  other,  and  lived  in 
peace  and  unity,  was  then  divided  asunder.  The  broth- 
er being  killed,  the  women  and  children  had  gone  to  live 
with  those  to  whom  they  belonged  by  the  law  of  inherit- 
ance, and  were  thus  scattered  in  several  villages. 

With  a  heavy  heart  I  entered  my  canoe,  but  not  be- 
fore giving  a  bunch  of  beads  to  the  Bakalai  who  had 
told  me  the  story  of  the  untimely  death  of  poor  Querla- 
ouen. 

We  ascended  the  river  silently,  I  thinking  of  the  frail- 
ty of  human  life,  and  that  perhaps  a  day  might  come 
when  some  elephant  would  trample  upon  me,  or  some 
ferocious  leopard  carry  me  away  in  his  jaws,  or  some  go- 
rilla would,  with  one  blow  of  his  powerful  hand,  cut  my 
body  in  two.  Perhaps  fever  might  kill  me.  I  might 
encounter  an  unfriendly  tribe  and  be  murdered. 

I  raised  a  silent  prayer  to  the  Great  Ruler  of  the  uni- 
verse to  protect  me,  and  said, "  God,  thou  knowest  that 
I  am  guided  only  by  the  love  of  discovering  the  wonders 
of  thy  creation,  so  that  I  may  tell  to  my  fellow-creatures 
all  that  I  have  seen.  I  am  but  a  worm ;  there  is  no 
strength  in  me.  What  am  1  in  this  great  forest  ?"  Oh 
how  helpless  I  felt.  The  news  of  Querlaouen's  death 
had  very  much  depressed  my  spirits,  casting  a  heavy 
gloom  over  me. 

To  this  day  I  love  to  think  of  friend  Querlaouen,  of 
his  family,  and  of  his  children,  and  of  the  great  hunts  we 
have  had  together. 

We  finally  approached  Obindji's  town,  and  soon  were 


1 72  £057  IN  THE  JUNGLE. 

landed  on  the  shore,  where  his  little  village  was  buil» 
with  the  bark  of  trees. 

I  need  not  say  what  a  welcome  we  received.  But  lo! 
what  do  I  see  ?  Querlaouen's  wife !  She  had  come  here 
on  a  visit.  As  is  customary  in  that  country  for  friends 
who  have  not  seen  each  other  for  a  long  time,  we  em- 
braced. 

The  good  woman  was  so  glad  to  see  me.  She  still 
wore  the  marks  of  her  widowhood.  Her  hair  was  shorn, 
she  wore  no  ornament  whatever,  and  did  not  even  wash. 

She  spent  the  evening  with  me,  telling  me  all  her 
troubles,  and  that,  as  soon  as  her  season  of  widowhood 
was  finished,  she  was  to  become  the  wife  of  Querlaouen's 
youngest  brother.  "  But,"  added  she, "  I  will  never  love 
any  one  as  I  loved  Querlaouen."  She  was  to  live  in  the 
mountains  of  the  Ashankolo. 

This  was  probably  the  last  time  I  was  to  see  the  wife 
of  my  good  friend  Querlaouen,  the  Bakalai  hunter,  and 
all  the  friendship  I  ever  had  for  her  husband  was  now 
hers ;  so  I  went  quietly  to  one  of  my  chests,  and,  taking 
a  necklace  of  large  beads,  fixed  it  round  her  neck ;  then 
put  my  hand  on  the  top  of  her  head,  and  gave  her  a  ban* 
go  (a  law),  which  was,  that  she  must  never  part  with 
these  beads,  and  that,  as  years  would  roll  by,  she  must  say, 
ft  These  beads  came  from  Chally,  Querlaouen's  friend." 

The  old  woman  was  so  much  touched  that  she  trem- 
bled, and  tears  stood  in  her  eyes. 

After  keeping  the  necklace  for  two  or  three  minutes 
round  her  neck,  she  took  it  off,  for  a  woman  in  mourn- 
ing can  not  wear  any  ornaments.  She  said  she  would 
keep  the  beads  till  she  died,  and  then  they  should  be 
buried  with  her.  I  gave  her  some  other  presents,  which 


GAMBO  AXD  MALA  0  UEX  ARE  ABSENT:  173 


GIVING   BEADS   TO   (JCERLAOCEN'S  WIFE. 

she  hid,  "  for,"  said  she, "  if  the  people  knew  I  had  such 
nice  things,  they  might  bewitch  me  in  order  to  obtain 
them.  Chally,  the  country  is  full  of  aniemba."  These 
last  words  she  uttered  in  a  very  low  voice. 

Obindji  told  me  that  lie  had  heard  Malaouen  had  gone 
on  some  trading  expedition.  I  had,  therefore,  only  to 
regret  not  being  able  to  see  him  or  Gambo,  who  had  re- 
turned to  his  own  country. 

1  missed  them  dreadfully,  and  I  left  word  with  Obind- 
ji to  tell  them  to  come  to  the  Ashira  country  after  me. 

I  could  not  possibly  remain,  and  all  the  entreaties  of 
friend  Obindji  could  not  make  me  stay.  I  must  go  tc 
the  Ashira  country. 


1 74 

In  the  mean  time,  a  new  comer  is  to  be  one  of  the 
chiefs  of  the  party.  Okendjo,  an  Ashira  man,  with 
Adouma,  is  going  to  lead  us.  Adouma  received  very 
positive  orders  from  the  king  to  follow  me  to  the  Ashira 
country.  Wherever  I  go,  he  must  not  return  without  me. 

With  Bakalai  and  Goumbi  people,  amounting  to  thir- 
ty-two men  all  told,  I  left  the  morning  after  my  arrival 
for  the  Ashira  land. 

Okendjo  was  in  his  glory;  he  had  conceived  the  bril° 
liant  idea  of  taking  the  first  moguizi  into  his  country. 


CHAPTER  XXI. 

LEAVE  FOR  ASHERA  LAND. IN  A  SWAMP. CROSS  THE  MOUN- 
TAINS.  A  LEOPARD  AFTER  US. REACH  THE  ASHIRA 

COUNTRY. 

EARLY  on  that  morning  of  my  departure  for  the  Ashi 
ra  Land  we  were  awakened  by  the  voice  of  friend  Obind- 
ji,  who  was  recommending  Okendjo  to  take  great  care 
of  his  "  white  man,"  and  see  that  nothing  should  hurt 
him. 

We  were  soon  under  way,  and,  leaving  the  Ovenga, 
ascended  the  Ofoubou  River  for  three  miles  and  a  half, 
when  we  unloaded  our  canoes.  Then  we  struck  off  due 
east. 

We  had  very  great  trouble  in  getting  through  the 
marshy  lands  which  border  the  river,  for  they  were  over- 
flowed to  the  very  foot  of  the  hills. 

This  was  about  as  hard  a  piece  of  traveling  as  I  ever 
had  in  my  life.  The  water  was  so  yellow  that  I  could 
not  see  to  the  bottom,  which  was  slimy  clay,  covering  the 
roots  of  trees. 

I  hardly  entered  the  swamp  before  down  J  seated  my- 
self in  a  manner  I  did  not  like  at  all.  I  barely  saved 
my  gun  from  going  to  the  bottom.  My  foot  had  slipped 
on  a  root.  Then  I  went  tottering  along,  getting  hold  of 
all  the  branches  or  trees  I  could  reach,  at  the  same  time 


176  L  OST  IN  THE  JUNGLE. 

saying  to  myself  that  I  did  not  see  the  use  of  such  a 
country. 

I  was  in  water  from  my  knees  to  my  waist ;  below  my 
knees  I  was  in  mud.  I  felt  warm  enough,  for  at  every 
step  I  would  go  deeper  into  the  sticky  mud,  and  it  was 
difficult  to  get  my  feet  out  again.  I  took  good  care  to 
have  Okendjo  and  two  or  three  fellows  go  ahead  of  me. 
They  had  no  clothes,  and  if  they  tumbled  into  the  wate* 
I  did  not  care ;  they  were  not  long  in  drying  off. 

Finally  we  got  through,  and  stood  at  the  foot  of  a 
mountain  ridge  along  which,  we  may  say,  lay  the  route 
leading  to  Ashira  Land.  Here  we  gave  three  cheers,  and 
with  cheery  hopes  I  started  once  more  for  a  terra  incog~ 
nita. 

We  are  lost  in  the  jungle.  Under  the  tall  trees  a  dense 
jungle  covers  the  ground ;  lianas  hang  gracefully  from 
the  limbs  and  trunks  of  trees.  Many  of  them  are  cover- 
ed with  flowers.  Now  and  then,  huge  blocks  of  quartz 
rocks  are  met  with.  We  go  along  slowly,  for  we  are 
tired. 

Okendjo  says  that  soon  we  shall  reach  the  promised 
land,  where  goats,  fowls,  plantain,  and  palm  wine  are 
plentiful. 

Mountain  after  mountain  had  to  be  ascended.  Oh, 
how  hard  we  worked !  How  we  panted  after  reaching 
the  summit  of  a  hill.  How  beautiful  were  the  rivulets, 
they  were  so  pure,  so  cool,  so  nice ;  their  crystalline  wa- 
ter rolled  in  every  direction,  tumbling  over  the  rocks  in 
foaming  cascades,  or  purling  along  in  a  bed  of  white 
pebbles.  Oh  how  much  they  reminded  me  of  the  hilV 
streams  and  trout-brooks  of  home ;  for  if  the  trees  I  saw 
had  not  the  foliage  of  ^ur  trees  at  home,  the  stones  were 


GOIXG  TO  ASHLRA  LAND. 


177 


the  same.   The  quartz  was  similar.   Nature  Uiere,  at  least, 
was  alike.     The  rocks  were  of  the  same  formation. 

I  felt  well  and  happy.     I  was  on  my  way  to  discover 
new  lands,  new  rivers,  new  mountains,  and  new  beasts 


eOING  TO  A8I11EA  LAND. 


and  birds.    I  was  to  see  new  tribes  of  men  whom  I  had 
never  seen  before. 

So  I  trotted  along,  Okendjo,  Adouma,  and  I  leading 
the  way.     By-and-by  the  country  became  still  more  nig- 
ged.    The  blocks  of  quartz  we  met  were  of  larger  size, 
12 


1 78  LOST  IN  THE  JUNGLE. 

and  soon  our  path  led  us  in  the  midst  of  huge  masses  of 
stones.  How  queer  and  small  we  looked  as  our  caravan 
filed,  one  by  one,  between  the  ponderous  blocks !  We 
looked  exactly  like  pigmies  alongside  of  the  huge  boul- 
ders. 

Quite  near  us  were  some  large  ebony-trees ;  how  beau- 
tiful their  foliage  looked,  contrasting  with  the  blocks  of 
quartz  and  granite,  some  of  which  were  covered  with 
mosses,  and  others  perfectly  bare.  What  could  have 
brought  these  huge  boulders  on  those  mountains?  I 
should  not  wonder  if  glaciers  had  accomplished  it  in 
ages  that  are  past.  The  more  rocky  the  soil,  the  better 
ebony-trees  appeared  to  flourish. 

How  hard  the  walking  was !  In  many  places  the  rains 
had  washed  away  the  soil  from  the  immense  and  wide- 
spreading  roots,  which  ran  along  the  ground  like  huge 
serpents — indeed,  many  of  them  were  just  like  big  boa 
constrictors. 

My  feet  were  so  sore  by  walking  on  those  roots,  or 
rather  by  stepping  from  one  to  another,  for  I  was  obliged 
to  wear  thin-soled  shoes,  so  that  I  might  bend  my  feet  to 
seize  the  roots.  If  I  had  worn  thick  shoes  I  should  have 
tumbled  down  at  the  first  jump. 

Just  before  sunset  we  stopped,  and  I  ordered  the  camp 
to  be  built,  the  firewood  to  be  collected  for  the  night. 
There  were  no  large  leaves  to  be  found,  so  we  all  hoped 
that  no  rain  or  tornado  would  come  that  night. 

We  all  made  beds  of  such  leaves  as  were  to  be  found ; 
for  myself,  I  put  two  mats  on  the  top,  and  lighted,  as  usu- 
al, four  fires  round  me  to  keep  off  the  wild  beasts. 

The  Bakalai  built  a  camp  for  themselves,  the  Ashira 
built  another,  and  my  own  was  between  the  two.  I  lay 


A  LEOPARD  IS  AFTER  US.  179 

down,  feeling  very  tired,  and  prayed  to  God  to  take  care 
of  me.  For  a  pillow  I  used  the  belt  which  held  my  re- 
Tolvers,  and  taking  one  of  my  guns  in  my  arms,  I  went 
to  sleep. 

Toward  one  o'clock  in  the  morning  I  was  awakened 
by  the  loud  roaring  of  a  leopard  which  was  prowling 
round  our  camp.  He  had  smelled  human  flesh;  probably 
he  had  tasted  it  before,  but  he  dared  not  approach  very 
close,  for  the  fires  were  bright  and  the  men  awake.  He 
was  afraid  of  the  bright  light,  and  his  howls  testified  how 
enraged  he  was.  He  was,  no  doubt,  hungry,  but  his  cow- 
ardice kept  him  back.  I  ordered  some  guns  to  be  fired 
at  random  in  the  direction  where  we  heard  his  growls. 

For  a  while  the  forest  became  silent,  and  the  leopard 
went  off.  We  thought  we  had  frightened  him  ;  but,  just 
as  we  were  on  the  point  of  going  to  sleep  once  more,  sud- 
denly the  roaring  began  again,  and  this  time  the  beast 
had  come  nearer.  He  wanted,  no  doubt,  to  make  his 
breakfast  upon  one  of  us ;  but  his  desires  were  not  to  be 
gratified.  I  felt  mad,  as  I  wanted  to  sleep,  for  the  next 
day  was  to  be  one  of  hard  traveling. 

If  1  had  dared,  I  would  have  ventured  into  the  forest 
after  the  beast ;  but  the  risk  was  too  great,  it  was  so  dark. 
The  leopard  would  have  done,  no  doubt,  as  cats  do,  lain 
flat  on  the  ground  and  waited  for  his  prey,  and  pounced 
upon  me  as  the  smaller  animal  would  do  upon  a  mouse. 
So,  as  the  roars  of  the  beast  continued,  we  concluded  to 
keep  awake,  first  putting  more  wood  on  our  fires. 

The  loads  we  had  carried  since  leaving  Obindji  had 
been  very  heavy,  and  the  sore  backs  of  the  men  began 
to  show  that  they  had  hard  work.  I  was  loaded  as  well 
as  any  of  them,  with  powder,  shot,  my  own  food,  bullets 


180  L  OST  IN  THE  JUNGLE. 

for  my  gun  and  my  revolvers,  which  I  carried  in  my  belt, 
an  extra  pair  of  pantaloons,  shoes,  etc.,  et^ 

Eesnming  our  journey  next  morning,!  discovered  that 
the  fellows  had  either  been  eating  lots  of  plantains,  or 
perhaps  slyly  throwing  away  a  quantity  of  them,  in  or- 
der to  be  relieved  of  the  burden.  I  warned  them  that 
if  we  were  short  of  food  they  would  have  to  starve  first. 

They  replied, "  There  are  plenty  of  nuts  in  the  forest 
— there  are  plenty  of  berries  in  the  forest ;  we  can  stand 
being  a  day  without  food  !" 

Toward  the  evening  of  that  day  we  began  to  see  signs 
of  a  change  in  the  face  of  the  country.  Now  and  then 
we  would  pass  immense  plantations  of  plantains,  the  trees 
loaded  with  fruit.  We  came  at  last  to  one  which  goril- 
las had  visited  and  made  short  work  of,  having  demol- 
ished lot?  of  trees,  which  lay  scattered  right  and  left.  El- 
ephants had  also  made  sad  havoc  in  eoni3  of  the  planta- 
tions. Then  we  came  across  patches  of  sugar-cane. 
These  plantations  were  scattered  in  the  great  forest, 
and  grew  in  the  midst  of  innumerable  trunks  and  dead 
branches  of  trees  that  had  been  cut  down. 

The  soil  became  more  clayey,  and  at  last  we  emerged 
from  the  immense  forest.  I  saw,  spread  out  before  me, 
a  new  country,  the  like  of  which  I  had  not  seen  since  I 
had  been  lost  in  the  great  equatorial  jungle.  It  was 
Ashira  Land.  The  prairies  were  dotted  plentifully  with 
villages,  which  looked  in  the  distance  like  ant-hilk. 


CHAPTER  XXIL 

GREAT  MOUNTAINS. ASHIKA  LAND  IS  BEAUTIFUL. THE  PEO- 
PLE  ARE   AFRAID. REACH   AKOONGA5S   VILLAGE. KING 

OLENDA    SENDS    MESSENGERS    AND    PRESENTS. 1    REACH 

OLENDA'S  VILLAGE. 

WHAT  a  beautiful  country!  How  lovely  the  grass 
seemed  to  me !  How  sweet  it  was  to  see  .an  open  space ! 

"  Where  are  we  ?"  cried  I  to  my  Okendjo  men. 

They  answered,  in  Ashira  Land — Otobi  (prairie).  It 
seemed  to  me  that  they  should  have  replied  in  Fairy- 
land, as  I  had  been  so  long  shut  up  in  the  dark  forest. 

I  stood  for  a' long  time  on  a  bluff  just  on  the  border 
of  the  forest.  On  the  left,  in  the  far  distance,  loomed 
up  mountains  higher  than  any  I  had  yet  seen.  They 
looked  very  beautiful  against  the  blue  sky.  These  moun- 
tains were  called  Nkoumou-Nabouali.  Xo  one  had  ever 
been  on  their  summit.  On  the  right,  in  the  distance  also, 
were  mountains,  but  not  so  lofty,  called  Ofoubou-Orere 
and  Andele,  and  in  front  of  my  position  were  still  other 
mountains  called  Okoukoue*. 

All  over  the  prairies  villages  were  scattered,  and  the 
hills  and  valleys  were  streaked  with  ribbon-like  paths, 
while  here  and  there  my  eye  caught  the  silver  sheen  of 
a  brook  winding  along  through  the  undulating  land.  I 
could  also  see  groves  of  banana  and  plantain  trees,  with 
their  leaves  so  large  and  beautiful.  There  were  likewise 
plantations  of  cassada  and  peanuts. 


182  LOST  IN  THE  JUNGLE. 

The  setting  sun  shone  over  the  landscape,  and  the  tall 
green  grass  reminded  me  of  home,  and  my  heart  at  once 
went  over  the  sea.  Do  not  think  that  I  was  without 
feeling  because  I  went  to  Africa  and  left  civilization — • 
that  I  never  thought  of  friends.  There  were  girls  and 
,boys  of  whom  I  thought  almost  every  day,  and  whom  I 
loved  dearly. 

"  Fire  a  gun,"  said  Okendjo ;  "  fire,  Moguizi,  so  that 
my  people  may  know  you  by  the  thunder  you  carry  in 
your  hand,  and  that  Okendjo  brings  them  a  moguizi." 

The  good  fellow  was  in  a  high  state  of  excitement 
Adouma  was  nowhere.  I  loaded  my  guns  with  heavy 
charges,  and  fired,  bang !  bang !  bang !  Immediately  I 
could  see  the  people  running  out  of  their  villages ;  they 
seemed  in  the  distance  like  pigmies ;  they  shouted,  and 
were,  perhaps,  just  a  little  frightened  as  they  ran  to  and 
fro.  They  had  seen  the  smoke  and  heard  the  noise,  and 
soon  they  saw  me.  Okendjo  had  sent  guides  to  tell  the 
people  not  to  be  afraid ;  besides,  my  fame  had  gone  be- 
fore me,  for  many  of  the  Ashira  had  seen  me. 

We  did  not  long  remain  motionless,  for  it  was  almost 
dark,  and  we  must  hurry.  Soon  every  hill-top  was  cov- 
ered with  people,  but  as  we  passed  by  they  ran  away. 

Okendjo  walked  ahead  of  me,  shouting  "  Ashira !  I 
have  brought  to  you  a  great  and  mighty  spirit !  He  is 
good,  and  does  no  harm  !  Ashira !  I  am  Okendjo." 

The  crowd  shouted  in  reply, "  The  ntangani  has  come ! 
The  moguizi  has  come  to  see  our  land — our  land  which 
he  never  saw  before.  Moguizi,  we  will  give  you  plenty 
to  eat  I  Moguizi,  do  us  no  harm  !  Oh,  Moguizi !"  Then 
they  sung  songs,  and  the  idols  were  brought  out,  so  that 
they  might  see  the  moguizi  that  had  come.  The  druma 


AKOONOA  GIVES  ME  A  HOUSE.  ig3 

beat,  but,  as  I  have  said,  when  I  came  near,  the  people 
ran  away,  leaving  their  idols  behind  to  look  at  me. 

Indeed,  the  Ashira  Land  was  a  strange  country. 

We  soon  came  to  a  village,  the  chief  of  which  was 
Okendjo's  brother;  his  name  was  Akoonga.  He  was  at 
the  gate  of  the  village,  and  trembled  with  fear,  but  he 
had  come  to  welcome  me. 

"  Am  I  tipsy  with  plantain  wine  ?  Do  tell  me,  Okend- 
jo,  if  I  see  aright,  or  is  it  a  hallucination  of  my  mind  ? 
Have  I  not  before  me  the  spirit  who  makes  the  guns,  the 
beads,  the  brass  rods,  and  the  copper  rings  ? 

"  Do  I  see  aright  when  I  see  that  his  hair  is  long,  and 
as  black  as  that  of  the  mondi  ?  when  I  see  that  his  legs 
are  black,  and  that  he  has  no  toes  (I  had  boots  on)  ?  that 
his  face  is  of  a  color  I  never  saw  ?  Do  tell  me — tell  me 
quick,  Okendjo,  am  I  drunk  ?" 

Okendjo  replied, "  He  is  the  spirit  of  whom  you  have 
heard  so  much,  who  came  into  the  Bakalai  country.  He 
comes  from  the  spirit  land  to  visit  us."  The  people  then 
shouted,  "  How  queer  the  spirit  looks !"  My  hair  was 
long,  very  long,  and  excited  their  wonder. 

Akoonga  soon  gave  me  a  house.  There  the  chief  came, 
followed  by  ten  of  his  wives,  each  bearing  two  bunches  of 
plantains,  which,  with  fear  and  trembling,  they  brought 
to  my  feet.  Then  came  four  goats,  twenty  fowls,  several 
baskets  of  ground-nuts,  and  many  bunches  of  sugar-cane. 

The  chief  told  Okendjo  to  say  to  me  that  he  was  glad 
I  was  to  spend  the  night  in  his  village,  and  that  I  was 
the  master  of  every  thing  in  it. 

When  night  came  Okendjo  walked  from  one  end  of 
the  village  to  the  other,  and  I  heard  him  say  to  his 
people,  "  Be  silent ;  do  not  trouble  the  spirit ;  do  not 


1 84  L  OST  IN  THE  JUNGLE. 

speak,  lest  you  awake  him,  and  lie  might  awake  in  anger, 
and  smite  you,  and  make  the  people  of  our  village  die. 
Keither  our  forefathers  nor  ourselves  ever  saw  such  a 
wonder  as  this." 

Next  morning  immense  crowds  surrounded  the  vil- 
lage. They  shouted  and  shouted,  and,  not  to  disappoint 
them,  I  walked  through  the  street  from  time  to  time. 

Olenda,  the  king  or  head  chief  of  the  Ashiras,  for 
whose  place  I  was  bound,  sent  presents  of  goats  and 
plantains  for  the  spirit  by  two  messengers,  and  wanted 
to  know  if  the  arrival  of  the  moguizi  was  true.  The 
king  also  sent  word  that  I  should  be  carried ;  for  why 
should  the  moguizi  walk  if  he  is  tired  ? 

The  messengers  went  and  reported  to  their  king  that 
it  was  so — a  good  moguizi  had  come.  Then  a  great  num- 
ber of  men  were  sent  back  to  carry  my  baggage,  and 
we  left  Akoonga's  village.  The  men  shouted,  and  from 
time  to  time  sung  wild  songs  celebrating  my  arrival 
among  them.  After  a  walk  of  ten  miles  I  reached  the 
village  of  Olenda.  Olenda  was  the  great  king  of  the 
Ashira  tribe. 


CHAPTER  XXIIL 

KING  OLENDA  COMES  TO  RECEIVE  ME. HE  IS  VERY  OLD. 

NEVER  SAW  A  MAN  SO  OLD  BEFORE.-  -HE  BEATS  HIS  KEN- 
DO.  HE    SALUTES   ME   WITH   HIS   KOMBO. KINGS  ALONB 

CAN  WEAR  THE  KENDO. 

OLENDA  village  was  situated  at  the  top  of  a  high  hill. 
The  people,  with  the  exception  of  a  few,  had  fled.  AD 
were  afraid  to  see  the  moguizi  close  by  them. 

"How  could  King  Olenda  run  off,  when  his  great 
friend  Quengueza  sent  him  a  moguizi  ?"  shouted  Okend- 
jo;  "the  people  will  return  when  they  see  Olenda  facing 
you." 

I  was  led  to  the  on  and  j  a,  and  had  scarcely  seated  my- 
self on  a  native  ytool  when  I  heard  the  sound  of  the 
kendo — the  king  was  coming.  The  kendo  was  ringing, 
and  no  one  can  possess  or  ring  a  kendo  but  a  king.  So, 
at  every  step  the  king  made  the  kendo  rang,  and  at  last 
Olenda  stood  before  me. 

Never  in  my  life  had  I  seen  a  man  so  old ;  never  did 
I  dream  that  a  man  could  be  so  old,  and  I  wondered  not 
that  his  fame  had  spread  far  and  wide  on  account  of  his 
age.  He  was  a  man  with  wool  as  white  as  snow,  and  his 
face  was  a  mass  of  wrinkles.  Every  rib 'could  be  seen, 
for  the  skin  was  like  parchment.  His  body  was  bent  al- 
most double  with  age,  and  the  legs  and  arms  were  like 
sticks,  apparently  not  bigger  than  broom-handles.  His 


BKOKPTION   OF   THE   KING    OF   TUB   ASH 


APPEARANCE  OF  OLEXDA.  187 

cheeks  were  so  hollow  that  the  skin  seemed  to  cling  ta 
the  bones.  He  had  painted  with  the  chalk  of  the  Alum- 
bi  his  haggard  old  face,  red  on  one  side  and  white  on  the 
other,  in  streaks,  and,  as  he  stood  before  me,  1  wondered 
as  much  at  his  appearance  as  he  did  at  mine.  He  car- 
ried  a  long  stick  or  cane  to  support  himself.  The  like  I 
had  never  seen.  He  seemed  the  apparition  of  some  man 
who  had  lived  in  our  world  a  couple  of  hundred  years. 

When  we  had  gazed  at  each  other  (he  looking  at  me 
with  deep  little  eyes  for  at  least  five  minutes,  and  beat- 
ing his  kendo  all  the  time  with  his  palsied  hand),  he  sud- 
denly spoke  and  said,  "  I  have  no  bowels ;  I  am  like  the 
Ovenga  River — I  can  *iot  be  cut  in  two.  I  am  also  like 
the  N iembai  and  Ovenga  Rivers,  which  unite  together. 
Thus  my  body  is  united,  and  nothing  can  divide  it." 

This  gibberish  had  some  deep  mystic  significance.  It 
was  the  regular  and  invariable  salutation  of  the  Ashira 
kings,  Olenda's  predecessors,  time  out  of  mind.  Each 
chief  and  important  person  has  such  a  salutation,  which 
they  call  kombo. 

I  will  explain  Olenda's  kombo  to  you.  If  you  had  be- 
fore you  a  map  of  the  countries  I  have  explored  in  Equa- 
torial Africa,  which  are  published  in  my  larger  works, 
you  would  see  on  it  the  River  Ovenga.  Olenda  means, 
when  he  says  that  he  can  not  be  cut  in  two  and  is  like 
the  River  Ovenga,  that  his  body  can  not  be  divided  any 
more  than  the  River  Ovenga  can  be  cut  in  twain.  The 
Niembai  and  Ovenga  unite  together  and  form  one  river, 
called  Rembo ;  so,  if  his  body  was  cut  in  two,  it  could 
not  be  separated,  for,  as  the  two  rivers  unite  and  form 
one,  so  the  two  parts  of  his  body  would  reunite  again 
and  form  one. 


188  L  OST  IN  THE  JUNGLE. 

Then  he  continued,  beating  his  kendo  from  time  to 
time,  "  You,  the  spirit,  have  come  to  see  Olenda ;  you, 
the  spirit,  have  put  your  feet  where  none  like  you  have 
ever  been.  You  are  welcome." 

Here  the  old  king's  son,  also  a  very  old  negro,  with 
white  wool  on  his  head,  handed  over  to  the  king  two 
slaves,  which  his  majesty  formally  presented  to  me,  to- 
gether with  three  goats,  twenty  bunches  of  plantains, 
twenty  fowls,  five  baskets  of  ground-nuts,  and  several 
bunches  of  sugar-cane. 

"  This,"  said  he,  "  is  to  salute  you.  "Whatever  else  you 
want,  tell  me.  I  am  the  king  of  this  country;  I  am  old- 
er than  any  tree  you  see  around  you." 

I  replied  that  slaves  I  did  not  want,  but  the  food  and 
other  presents  I  would  take. 

Then  more  of  the  old  man's  children  came,  all  old, 
and  wrinkled,  and  white-headed  men.  They  stood  before 
me,  regarding  me  with  wonder  and  awe,  while  the  peo- 
ple, of  whom  thousands  were  gathered  from  all  the  vil- 
lages of  the  plain,  had  returned  while  their  old  king  was 
speaking  to  me.  They  looked  on  in  silence,  and  expressed 
their  surprise  in  whispers. 

At  last  the  old  king  turned  to  his  people  and  said, "  I 
have  seen  many  things  in  my  life — many  wonderful 
things ;  but  now  I  am  ready  to  die,  for  I  have  received 
the  moguizi  spirit,  from  whom  we  receive  all  things.  It 
will  always  be  said  in  our  nation,  by  those  coming  after 
ns,  that  in  the  time  of  Olenda  the  spirit  first  appeared 
and  dwelt  among  us.  You  are  welcome  (turning  to  me). 
Keep  this  spirit  well  (to  liis  people) ;  he  will  do  us  good." 

I  was  amazed ;  my  eyes  could  not  keep  away  from 
Olenda.  I  knew  not  that  men  could  become  so  old. 


THE  KENDO.  180 

Then  Olenda  began  to  beat  his  kendo  again,  invoking 
the  spirits  of  his  ancestors  to  be  with  him  and  his,  and, 
with  his  body  bent  double,  and  supported  by  his  cane,  he 
returned  to  his  hut,  ejaculating  "  Mawo,  ma-mo,  ma- 
mo  /" 

The  kendo  is  the  symbol  of  royalty  in  most  of  the 
tribes  of  this  part  of  the  interior  of  Africa.  It  is  a  rude 
bell  of  iron,  furnished  with  a  long  handle,  also  of  iron, 
and  of  the  same  piece,  as  shown  in  the  engraving.  The 

sound,  which 
at  home  an- 
nounces the 
vicinity  of  a 
!  herd  of  cows 
or  sheep,  in 

Africa  precedes  the  advent  of  the  sover- 
eign, who  uses  the  kendo  only  when  on 
visits  of  state  or  on  business  of  importance. 
When  not  beating  it  they  wear  it  on  the 
shoulder.  The  bell  may  vary  from  six  to 
eight  inches  in  length,  and  the  handle  from 
twelve  to  fifteen  inches.  When  they  wear 
the  kendo  they  fill  it  with  a  skin,  general- 
ly of  an  oshengui,  which  contains  mon.da, 
or  charms,  to  keep  away  the  aniemba. 

A  nice  little  hut  was  given  to  me,  and  I 
was  soon  safely  housed  in  it.  One  of  the 
chickens  given  to  me  by  Olenda  was  kill- 
ed, and  a  soup  made  with  it.  It  was  ex* 
cellent,  and  did  me  good. 


CHAPTEE  XXIV. 

IHEY   AI-L   COME   TO   SEE   ME. THEY   SAY  I   HAVE   AN   EVU 

EYE. ASHIRA  VILLAGES. OLENDA  GIVES  A  GKEAT  BALL 

IN   MY  HONOR. BEER-HOUSES. GOATS   COMING   OUT  OF  A 

MOUNTAIN  ALIVE. 

SEVERAL  days  have  elapsed  since  my  arrival  at  Olen- 
da.  From  more  than  one  hundred  and  fifty  villages  of 
the  plain,  the  people  streamed  to  Olenda's  town  to  see 
"the  spirit."  They  came  in  the  night,  slept  on  the 
ground  outside  the  town,  and  in  the  morning  crowded 
about  me,  wondering  at  my  hair,  at  my  clothes,  at  my 
shoes;  declaring  that  my  feet  were  like  elephant's  feet, 
for  they  did  not  see  the  toes ;  and  they  would  try  to  get  a 
glance  at  my  eyes.  The  moment  I  looked  at  them  they 
ran  off  screaming,  and  especially  the  women  and  chil- 
dren. The  Africans  had  a  great  dread  of  my  look.  They 
believe  in  the  evil  eye,  and  often,  when  I  would  look 
steadily  at  them,  my  best  friends,  with  a  shudder,  would 
beg  me  not  to  do  it. 

So  I  may  say  that  since  my  arrival  the  time  has  been 
devoted  to  seeing  and  being  seen.  And  I  assure  you  it 
,vas  no  joke  to  hear  that  uproarious  crowd  and  their  wild 
shouts — to  have  always  in  my  sight  a  crowd  of  people 
yelling  at  every  movement  I  made. 

I  had  a  Yankee  clock,  which  was  an  object  of  constant 
wonder  to  them.  They  thought  that  there  was  a  kind  of 
spirit  inside  that  made  the  noise,  and  that  watched  ova* 


EVERY  DAT  OLENDA  LOOKS  AT  ME.  \$\ 

me.  Its  constant  ticking,  day  and  night,  was  noticed, 
and  they  had  an  idea  that  the  noise  could  never  stop. 
At  night  of  course  the  sound  is  louder,  and  this  fright- 
ened them,  and  not  one  dared  to  come  close  to  my  hut. 

Every  day  Olenda  beats  his  kendo;  every  day  he  comes 
to  get  a  look  at  me. 

This  Ashira  prairie  seemed  to  be  shut  in  on  all  sides 
by  mountains,  which  of  course  were  covered  with  forest. 
Fancy  the  forest  a  sea  of  trees,  and  the  Ashira  Land  an 
island.  Pine-apples  grew  in  great  abundance,  and  thou- 
sands and  thousands  of  them  were  clustered  close  togeth- 
er, and  formed  otobi  (prairies)  by  themselves. 

This  plain  is  the  finest  and  most  delightful  country  I 
had  thus  far  seen  in  the  jungle.  The  undulations  of  the 
prairie,  which  is  a  kind  of  table-land  surrounded  on  ev- 
ery side  by  high  mountains,  gave  the  landscape  a  charm- 
ing variety.  The  surrounding  mountains,  the  splendid 
peak  of  the  Nkoomoo  Nabouali  on  the  north,  said  by 
the  superstitious  Ashiras  to  be  inhabited  by  satyrs  like 
men ;  the  Andele  and  Ofoubou-Orere  to  the  south,  and 
the  Ococoo  to  the  east,  are  all  covered  with  dense  masses 
of  foliage.  In  those  forests  are  living  tribes  of  wild  men 
and  wilder  beasts,  roaming  at  pleasure. 

I  have  arrived  in  a  country  where  I  could  see  grass, 
and  see  distinctly  the  moon,  the  stars,  and  the  sun  with- 
out first  being  obliged  to  cut  the  trees  down.  Oh,  you 
have  no  idea  how  nice  it  is  to  see  an  open  space  after 
you  have  been  shut  up  in  the  forest  for  years. 

From  Olenda's  village  I  made  excursions  all  over  the 
Ashira  country.  The  villages  were  so  numerous  I  could 
not  count  them.  There  were  from  one  hundred  and  fifty 
to  two  hundred  of  them.  Some  were  quite  small,  othera 


1 9  2  L  OST  IN  THE  JUNOL1S. 

were  quite  large ;  and  what  beautiful  villages  they  were, 
I  had  not  seen  such  pretty  ones  before.  The  houses  were 
email,  but  the  neatest  I  had  met  in  the  jungle.  They  are 
built  generally  in  one  long  street,  houses  on  each  side. 
The  streets  are  kept  clean ;  and  this  was  the  first  tribe  I 
met  where  the  ground  at  the  back  of  the  houses  was  also 
cleared  off.  In  most  villages  there  was,  back  of  the 
houses,  a  street  where  great  numbers  of  plantain-trees 
and  some  lime-trees,  for  they  love  lemons,  were  growing. 
The  villages  are  surrounded  by  thousands  of  plantain- 
trees,  and  regular  footpaths  connected  one  village  with 
anotner. 

Ball  after  ball  was  given  to  me,  and  one  evening  Olen- 
da  gave  me  a  very  fine,  big  one.  More  than  fifty  drums 
beat,  besides  there  were  musicians  armed  with  short 
sticks,  with  which  they  pounded  with  all  their  might  on 
pieces  of  board.  The  singing  was  extraordinary,  and  the 
Ashira  belles  cut  any  amount  of  capers,  one  time  raising 
their  legs  one  way,  then  bending  their  bodies  backward 
and  forward,  shaking  their  heads  from  one  side  to  the 
other,  kicking  their  heels  together,  the  iron  or  brass 
bracelets  or  anklets  adding  to  the  harmony  of  the  mu- 
sical instruments  I  have  described  to  you.  The  singing 
was  as  wild  as  can  be  imagined.  Olenda's  wives — for 
his  majesty  was  blessed  with  several  scores  of  them — 
danced  with  fury. 

They  danced  all  night,  and  the  next  morning  there  was 
a  general  stampede  to  the  beer  or  cider-house.  I  must 
tell  you  that  the  Ashira  are  very  fond  of  plantain  wine. 

I  followed,  for  I  wanted  to  see  a  beer-house  and  a 
general  Ashira  spree. 

4fter  walking  for  half  an  hour  we  came  to  a  cluster 


APPEARANCE  OF  A  EEER-HOUSJS.  J93 

of  trees,  in  the  centre  of  which  we  found  a  brewery.  A 
few  women  had  charge  of  the  premises — the  wives  of 
gome  of  the  Ashira. 

What  a  sight  presented  itself  to  my  view!  There 
hung  all  round  hundreds  of  large  bunches  of  plantain  in 
different  stages  of  ripening,  from  the  dark  green  to  the 


DRINKING    PLA.VlAl.N 


There 


bright  yellow,  hanging  from  the  limbs  of  trees, 
were  also  some  red-skin  plantains. 

It  was  a  large  building,  under  a  single  roof,  supported 
by  numerous  wooden  pillars,  and  on  these  hung  a  great 
many  bunches  of  plantain.  In  the  middle  of  the  build- 
ing there  were  scores  of  large  jars,  manufactured  in  the 
country,  some  of  which  would  hold  ten  or  fifteen  gallons. 
From  the  necks  of  some  of  them  a  quantity  of  rich 
white  froth  was  running  out.  The  beer  in  others  was 


194  LOST  IN  THE,   WGLS. 

just  ripe,  and  ready  for  drinking.  There  were  also 
many  large  mugs,  looking  more  like  dishes,  however,  for 
the  plantain  juice  to  be  poured  into. 

Very  soon  the  men  seated  themselves,  either  on  the 
stools  that  belonged  to  them  or  on  mats,  and  the  drink- 
ing began.  Mug  after  mug  was  swallowed  by  each  man. 
I  think  no  German  could  drink  the  same  amount  of  liq- 
uid. They  became,  after  a  while,  jolly  and  boisterous; 
they  began,  in  fact,  to  get  tipsy. 

Do  not  believe  they  were  drinking  at  random.  Each 
jug  of  wine  belonged  to  several  men,  who  had  clubbed 
together;  that  is  to  say,  each  had  given  a  certain  amount 
of  plantain  to  make  the  beer  which  the  vessel  contained. 

The  plantain  with  which  the  beer  or  wine  is  made  is 
a  kind  of  banana,  much  larger  and  coarser,  and  used,  as 
you  have  seen,  as  fooTl ;  but  it  must  be  cooked,  the  na- 
tives cooking  it  when  it  is  green.  When  ripe,  it  is  yel- 
low like  the  banana. 

The  beer  is  made  in  the  following  manner :  The  plant- 
ain  must  be  quite  ripe ;  then  it  is  cut  in  small  pieces, 
which  are  put  into  the  jar  until  it  is  half  filled ;  then  the 
jar  is  filled  with  water.  After  a  few  days  it  ferments ; 
then  the  froth  comes  out,  and  the  beer  is  ready  for  use. 

The  bunches  of  plantain,  which  were  hanging  by  hun- 
dreds, had  their  owners,  and  had  been  brought  from  the 
plantations  by  their  wives,  and  were  ripening  in  the 
shade.  As  the  plantations  yield  fruit  all  the  year  round, 
the  beer  is  never  lacking  among  the  Ashiras. 

After  they  were  sufficiently  excited,  they  began  to  talk 
of  their  wonderful  warlike  exploits,  and  I  do  believe  it 
was  who  should  lie  the  most  The  greater  the  lie,  the 
louder  the  applause. 


THE  MO  UNTAINS.  \  94 

I  tasted  the  plantain  beer,  and  found  it  somewhat  sour; 
I  did  not  like  it  at  all. 

I  spent  the  day  in  the  beer-house,  and,  when  we  re- 
turned to  the  village,  the  men  insisted  on  having  another 
dance,  and  they  kept  hard  at  work  at  it  all  night,  and 
went  all  to  sleep  the  next  morning.  I  was  glad  when 
every  thing  was  over,  for  my  head  began  to  ache. 

I  determined  to  visit  the  mountains  from  which  the 
River  Ofoubou  takes  its  name.  King  Olenda  was  to  take 
charge  of  my  luggage,  and  I  took  only  a  few  presents 
for  the  Ashira  chiefs  I  was  to  see,  and  who  had  come  to 
see  and  invite  me  to  visit  their  towns  in  the  mountains. 

One  of  Olenda's  sons  was  chief  of  our  party,  and 
Adouma,  Quengueza's  nephew,  led  with  him.  We  did 
not  start  before  old  King  Olenda  had  told  all  his  people 
to  take  great  care  of  the  "  spirit." 

"We  left  the  village  in  the  midst  of  the  wildest  shouts, 
and  then  wended  our  way  through  the  beautiful  green 
grass.  Within  a  mile  and  a  half  south  from  Olenda  we 
came  to  the  foot  of  Mount  Nchondo,  one  of  the  highest 
points  of  the  prairie.  There  we  all  stopped ;  why,  I 
could  not  guess. 

When  one  of  the  Ashiras  said  to  me,  pointing  to  the 
mountain,  "  You  see  that  mountain,  Moguizi  ?"  "  Yes," 
said  I.  "  From  that  part  of  the  mountain,"  continued 
Oyagui,  Olenda's  great-grandson,  in  the  most  serious 
manner, "  goats  come  out.  That  is  a  great  mountain ;  a 
spirit  lives  there.  Sometimes,  when  our  people  want  a 
goat,  they  will  go  there,  and  a  goat  will  come  to  them." 
I  said, «  That  can  not  be."  "  Yes,"  insisted  Oyagui, « 1 
know  plenty  of  people  who  get  goats  there." 

Then  we  passed  by  numerous  villages,  skirting  most 


1 96  LOST  IN  THE  JUNGLE. 

of  the  hills  at  their  base,  and  crowds  of  people  every 
where  cried  out, "  The  moguizi  is  coming !  the  moguizi 
is  coming!" 

All  these  villages  were  surrounded  by  groves  of  plan- 
tain and  banana  trees. 

After  a  journey  of  about  ten  miles,  we  came,  at  the 
foot  of  the  cloud-capped  Mount  Andele,  to  the  village  of 
Mouendi,  whose  chief,  Mandji,  came  forth  with  great  joy 
to  meet  me,  for  he  was  a  great  friend  of  Adouma.  He 
sang,  as  he  came  forward  with  his  people, "  It  is  good 
that  the  moguizi  comes  to  see  our  town." 

To  the  rear  of  the  village,  on  the  slope  of  the  moun- 
tain, the  forest  had  been  cleared,  and  the  space  occupied 
by  plantations,  where  tobacco,  peanuts,  plantains,  yams, 
and  sugar-cane  were  grown  to  an  extent  which  makes 
this  a  land  of  plenty  where  no  man  starves.  Bushes  of 
wild  cotton  were  seen  now  and  then,  but  not  in  great 
numbers. 

I  was  glad  that  I  had  reached  a  country  where  I  should 
not  readily  starve — plantains  and  goats  were  plentiful. 
As  I  stood  and  cast  my  eyes  over  the  scene,  the  yellow 
waving  grass,  with  now  and  then  a  dark  green  patch  in 
low  land  between  the  hills,  where  water  stood,  and  the 
cane-fields  contrasting  with  the  dark  green  of  the  forest, 
reminded  me  of  rural  scenes  at  home ;  but  I  looked  in 
vain  for  cattle ;  none  were  to  be  seen. 

I  had  a  great  time  at  Mouendi ;  Mandji,  its  chief,  was 
very  kind  to  me.  I  had  more  goats  and  plantains  given 
to  me  than  my  men  and  myself  could  eat.  The  Goum- 
bi  people  were  in  great  glee ;  that  was  just  the  country 
for  them,  and,  I  may  now  say  it,  it  was  just  the  country 
for  me  also.  I  was  in  clover,  I  thought. 


CHAPTER  XXV. 

ASCENSION    OF    THE    OFOTJBOTT  -  ORERE    AND    ANDELE    MOUN. 

TAINS. THE   ASHIKA   BLEED  THEIR   HANDS. — STORY  OF  A 

FIGHT   BETWEEN   A   GORILLA   AND   A   LEOPARD. THE   GO- 
RILLA AND  THE  ELEPHANT. WILD  BOARS. 

THE  day  arrived  when  we  were  to  ascend  the  Ofou- 
bou-Or&re  and  Andele  Mountains,  which  were  the  high- 
est peaks  of  that  range.  Mandji,  who  is  really  a  nice 
chief,  had  given  me  the  necessary  people,  and  I  longed 
to  reach  the  summits  of  these  woody  regions.  We  in- 
tended to  hunt  there  also  while  we  looked  around. 

Every  one  prepared  himself  for  several  days'  hard 
work,  and  finally,  when  every  thing  was  ready,  each  be- 
ing loaded  with  a  good  stock  of  provisions,  we  bade 
good-by  to  the  villagers. 

The  Ashiras,  before  starting,  covered  themselves  with 
fetiches,  as  usual,  and  drew  blood  from  their  hands  by 
cutting  small  gashes  on  them,  in  order  to  insure  good 
luck  in  the  hunt.  They  were  in  great  spirits,  for  the 
idol  of  the  village  had  told  the  people  that  we  should 
kill  much  game.  The  first  night  after  we  camped  a  tre- 
mendous tornado  blew  from  the  northeast,  leaving  us 
safely  in  our  leafy  shelter,  however,  and  then  the  men 
began  to  tell  stories  of  the  gorilla. 

Oyagui  was  the  first  to  get  up.  He  was  a  splendid 
story-teller ;  but,  before  lie  began,  he  swore  that  he  was 
going  to  tell  a  true  story,  part  of  which  he  saw,  and  a 
part  was  seen  by  his  brother,  which  was  the  same  as  if 


19  8  L  OST  IN  THE  J  UNGLR 

he  himself  had  seen  it.  A  smile  stole  over  the  faces  of 
all  present,  for  Oyagui  was  known  to  tell  tremendous 
big  stories,  and  a  great  deal  of  faith  was  required  before 
one  could  believe  them. 

"  One  day,"  said  he,  "  a  gorilla  was  walking  in  the 
forest,  when  he  met  a  ngego  (leopard).  The  gorilla 
stopped,  and  so  did  the  leopard.  The  latter,  being  hun- 
gry, crouched  for  a  spring  at  his  foe,  whereat  the  gorilla 
set  up  a  hideous  roar.  Undismayed  by  that  terrific  noise, 
the  leopard  made  his  leap,  but  was  caught  in  mid  air 
by  the  gorilla,  who  seized  him  by  the  tail,  and  whirled 
him  round  his  head  till  the  tail  broke  off  and  remained 
in  his  hand,  and  the  animal  escaped,  leaving  his  brush  in 
the  big  hands  of  the  gorilla.  How  funny  the  leopard 
did  look,  as  he  ran  off  without  his  tail !" 

"  You  never  saw  that,"  exclaimed  one  of  the  party. 

"  I  did,"  said  Oyagui ;  "  I  did,  as  sure  as  I  live.  The 
leopard  ran  away  to  his  companions,  who,  when  they  saw 
him,  asked,  'What  is  the  matter?'  whereupon  the  unfor- 
tunate beast  recounted  his  defeat." 

"  How  do  you  know,"  said  another,  "  that  the  leopards 
asked  the  one  without  a  tail '  What  is  the  matter  ?  You 
can  not  understand  leopard  talk." 

"  Oh,"  said  Oyagui,  undismayed,  "  they  looked  at  each 
other,  and  I  am  sure  they  said  what  I  have  told  you,  or 
something  of  the  kind,  for  immediately  the  chief  ngego 
began  howling  till  all  the  leopards  of  the  forest  came, 
who,  when  they  saw  their  brother  thus  injured,  and  with- 
out a  tail,  vowed  vengeance,  and  set  out  to  find  the  go- 
rilla. This  my  brother  saw,"  said  Oyagui,  talking  loud 
er  than  ever,  "  and  he  followed  the  leopard,  while  I  was 
watching  the  gorilla." 


THE  GORILLA  BREAKS  DOWN  A  TREE.  J99 

"  They  had  not  long  to  hunt.  When  the  gorilla  saw 
them  coming  he  broke  down  a  tree,  of  which  he  made  a 
club,  and  then  swung  it  round  and  round  his  head,  keep- 
ing the  troop  of  leopards  at  bay.  At  last,  however,  the 
gorilla  grew  tired,  his  efforts  began  to  slacken,  and  he 
whirled  round  his  tree  with  less  force.  He  stopped,  and 
then  the  leopards  rushed  on  him  with  one  accord,  and 
soon  killed  him.  They  sprang  on  his  head,  on  his  breast, 
on  his  arms,  and  on  his  legs." 

"  You  never  saw  this !"  shouted  all  the  Ashiras  to- 
gether. 

"  I  have !"  bawled  Oyagui,  as  loud  as  he  could. 

Then  they  all  said,  "  Oyagui,  tell  us  another  story." 
There  was  a  pause  and  a  short  silence  while  we  gave 
another  start  to  the  fires,  for,  at  any  rate,  Oyagui  had 
succeeded  in  making  us  think  of  leopards  in  telling  us 
his  story.  Then  Oyagui  began  again. 

"  A  great  gorilla  was  once  walking  in  the  forest  with 
his  wife  and  baby,  when  they  came  upon  a  huge  ele- 
phant, who  said,  'Let  me  pass,  gorilla;  move  off,  for 
these  woods  belong  to  me!' 

" '  Oh,  oh !'  said  the  gorilla,  *  how  do  the  woods  belong 
to  thee  ?  Ara  I  not  the  master  here  ?  Am  I  not  the 
Man  of  the  Woods  ?  Do  I  not  roam  where  I  please  ?' " 

"Oh!"  once  more  exclaimed  the  Ashiras, " this  can  not 
be,  for  you  do  not  talk  gorilla ;  you  can  not  understand 
gorillas'  or  elephants'  talk." 

"No,"  said  O_vagui,"I  can  not  understand  gorillas'  or 
elephants'  talk,  but  I  can  see  what  they  mean,  for  I  have 
a  fetich  which  makes  me  comprehend  the  talking  of  the 
beasts." 

Oyagui  continued: 


200  LOST  IN  THE  JUNGLE. 

"  Ordering  his  wife  and  baby  to  move  aside,  the  goril. 
la  broke  down  a  large  limb  of  a  tree,  and,  brandishing  it 
like  a  club,  made  for  the  elephant,  whom  he  soon  killed 
by  furious  blows.  The  body  of  the  latter  I  found  a  few 
days  afterward,  with  the  club  of  the  gorilla  lying  by  his 
side.  I  got  frightened  when  I  saw  the  big  elephant 
charging  at  the  gorilla,  and  the  gorilla  charging  at  the 
elephant,  and  so  I  ran  away ;  but  I  saw  the  club  by  the 
side  of  the  big  elephant." 

Soon  after  the  conclusion  of  this  story  we  went  to 
sleep,  I  believing,  for  one,  that  Gyagui  had  most  wonder- 
ful powers  of  imagination.  I  really  do  think  that  he  be- 
lieved all  he  said,  for,  as  he  told  the  stories,  he  got  very 
excited,  and  his  body  shone  with  perspiration. 

The  next  morning,  after  a  good  night's  rest,  I  got  up 
very  early,  and  proceeded  a  little  way  into  the  forest,  be- 
fore our  ascent,  to  see  if  I  could  find  some  antelope  or 
gazelle,  or  some  other  kind  of  game,  wandering  about  in 
search  of  food,  when  I  unexpectedly  heard  the  grunt  of 
wild  boars.  I  was  alone.  I  listened,  and  made  sure  that 
they  were  coming  down  the  mountain.  I  knew  that  I 
must  get  shelter  in  order  not  to  be  seen,  for  I  had  dis- 
covered that  they  were  coming  just  in  my  direction. 
A-  wild  boar  would  not  be  a  bad  thing,  I  thought,  espe- 
cially if  it  was  fat.  Were  they  yellow  wild  boars,  or 
black  ones  ?  Yellow  or  black,  one  would  be  welcome. 

Looking  around,  I  saw  the  remains  of  a  tree  that  had 
fallen  down  from  old  age.  The  top  of  the  Gtump  was 
about  three  feet  above  the  ground,  and  in  it  was  a  hol- 
low, into  which  I  could  easily  get,  and  there  could  not  be 
seen,  for  the  tree,  in  falling,  broke  off,  carrying  away  part 
of  the  trunk.  . 


/  GET  INTO  A  HOLLOW  TREE, 


201 


I  looked  inside  to  see  if  there  were  any  snake,  or  scor- 
pion,  or  centipede  in  it,  but  saw  nothing. 

If  I  had  tried,  I  could  not  have  made  a  better  hiding- 
place.  So  I  stepped  in,  making  a  peep-hole  to  see 
through,  and  lay  in  wait.  The  grunting  became  louder. 
I  could  hear  them  uprooting  the  ground,  and  finally  four 
big  yellow  wild  boars  were  before  me.  I  cocked  my  gun 


ATTACK   OJf   THE 


as  the  big  fellow  of  the  party  approached,  unaware  of  his 
danger,  and  fired,  and  down  he  came.  His  three  com- 
panions  made  a  leap  of  about  ten  yards — a  tremendous 
leap  it  was.  These  wild  boars  can  leap  farther  than  an. 
antelope.  This  was  a  PotamocTierus  alkifrom,  a  species 
which  I  have  described  to  you  in  a  former  volume. 
There  was  great  joy  when  I  returned  to  the  camp  and 


202 


LOST  IN  THE  JUNGLE. 


told  the  good  news.  They  thought  I  had  killed  a  mon- 
key. 

We  had  part  of  it  for  our  breakfast,  and  it  was  excel- 
lent, but  not  very  fat,  as  this  time  of  the  year  is  not  their 
fat  season. 

One  of  my  Ashira  men  had  at  home  a  small  idol,  which 
had  the  reputation  of  being  an  excellent  guardian  or  his 
vacant  house,  and  to  this  idol  he  was  to  take  a  piece  of 
smoked  boar's  flesh.  I  succeeded  in  purchasing  the  idol, 
a  likeness  of  which  I  here  give  you. 


'CHAPTER  XXYI. 

PROPOSE    TO    START    FOR    HAUNTED    MOUNTAINS. OLENDA 

SAYS   IT   CAN   NOT   BE   DONE. — AT   LAST  I  LEAVE   OLENDA 

VILLAGE.  — A   TORNADO. — WE   ARE    LOST. WE    FIGHT   A 

GORILLA. — WE   KILL  A  LEOPARD. RETURN   TO   OLENDA. 

I  SOON  after  returned  to  Olenda's  village. 

One  day  I  said  to  Olenda, "  Olenda,  have  you  ever  been 
to  the  Nkoumou-Nabouali?"  The  wrinkled  old  chief 
looked  at  me  through  his  small  eyes  for  some  time  with- 
out saying  a  word,  and  then  he  replied, "  Moguizi,  no  liv- 
ing man  has  ever  been  to  the  top  of  those  mountains." 

"  What  kind  of  people  live  in  those  mountains  ?" 

"  No  one  lives  there,"  said  Olenda, "  except  a  race  oi 
people  whom  you  may  perhaps  see,  but,  as  soon  as  you 
approach  their  abodes,  they  vanish  away,  and  no  one  can 
tell  which  way  they  have  gone,  for  no  one  can  see  them 
when  they  disappear ;  their  villages  are  made  only  with 
branches  of  trees." 

I  remained  silent  a  little  while. 

Then  I  said,  "Olenda,  I  want  to  go  there;  I  want  to 
go  to  the  very  top  of  the  Nkoumou-Nabouali — to  the 
very  top,"  I  added,  pointing  out  to  him  the  highest  blue 
peak  I  could  see  from  his  village — "  to  the  highest  top, 
so  that  I  may  look  at  all  the  country  round."  I  thought 
to  myself  what  a  glorious  sight  it  would  be,  for,  at  a  sin- 
gle glance,  I  should  see  hills,  and  plains,  and  rivers 
spread  all  around.  My  enthusiasm  was  very  great  when 


204  LOST  IN  THE  JUNGLE. 

thinking  of  these  things.  I  felt  strong — so  strong  that  1 
thought  it  would  be  nothing  to  go  through  that  belt  of 
immense  forest  and  climb  those  high  mountains. 

Olenda  gave  a  quiet  laugh,  which  I  still  recollect,  for 
it  came  from  his  hollow  chest,  and,  if  I  had  believed  in 
witchcraft,  I  should  have  certainly  thought  Olenda  was 
a  sorcerer.  His  people  were  afraid  of  him,  for  no  one 
could  understand  how  he  could  have  lived  so  long ;  all 
the  wives  he  had  married  when  a  young  man  had  died 
long  ago ;  there  was  not  a  living  man  or  woman  in  the 
country  who  knew  him  when  he  was  a  young  man.  The 
mothers  of  these  people  he  knew  when  they  were  babies. 

After  he  had  given  that  laugh,  which  ended  in  a  sar- 
castic smile,  he  looked  me  in  the  face  and  said, "  You 
can  not  do  it.  No  one  has  ever  been  there ;  there  is  a 
mighty  spirit  living  in  those  woods  which  prevents  peo- 
ple from  passing.  Besides,  there  is  nothing  to  eat ;  there 
are  no  wild  beasts,  no  antelope,  no  wild  boar.  At  the 
foot  of  the  mountain  there  is  a  tremendous  waterfall, 
which  drowns  the  roar  of  the  gorilla." 

"  I  must  go,"  said  I.  So  I  talked  to  the  Ashiras,  and 
finally  I  managed,  by  making  presents  and  promising 
more  on  my  return,  to  get  guides  enough  among  the 
Ashira  freemen  to  lead  me  through  the  impenetrable 
forests  which  lay  between  the  prairie  and  the  mountain 
top. 

Then  we  prepared  ourselves  for  the  journey.  I  had 
two  fine  axes,  which  I  filed  and  ground  on  soft  stone  in 
order  to  make  them  very  sharp ;  also  several  manckettes, 
or  cutlasses,  to  help  us  to  cut  our  way  through  the  jun- 
gle. I  had  several  boxes  of  matches  to  light  our  fires, 
besides  fire-steel  and  flints,  in  case  our  matches  should 


0KB  OUTFIT.  205 

get  wet.  I  also  took  several  wax  candles,  as  it  is  much 
more  easy  to  light  the  fires  with  them.  Likewise  I  took 
one  heavy  blanket,  for  I  knew  not  what  kind  of  weather 
we  should  have  on  the  mountains ;  as  for  my  men,  the 
fires  would  be  their  blankets. 

The  heavy  portion  of  our  luggage  was  several  hun- 
dred bullets,  about  fifty  pounds  of  shot  with  which  to 
kill  Guinea-fowls  and  other  birds,  and  about  ten  pounds 
of  powder. 

For  food  we  had  smoke-dried  plantains,  which  had 
been  cooked  first,  and  then  dried  on  an  orala  by  smok- 
ing them.  We  had  also  smoked  cassada.  This  kind  of 
food,  prepared  in  this  way,  would  keep  much  longer  and 
be  much  lighter,  so  each  man  could  carry  a  much  great- 
er quantity  of  it.  We  wanted  plenty  of  food.  It  was 
the  first  time  I  had  seen  plantain  prepared  in  that  way. 

We  started  in  the  midst  of  the  cheers  of  the  Ashira 
people,  and,  as  we  disappeared  down  the  hill,  I  saw  Olen- 
da  looking  after  us  with  his  body  half  bent,  and  for  all 
the  world  like  some  being  of  another  planet. 

We  took  a  northerly  direction  till  the  afternoon,  when 
we  left  the  prairie,  and  entered  at  once  into  as  fine  a 
piece  of  bog  land  as  any  one  could  wish  to  be  in.  It 
was  awful  traveling ;  the  ground  was  soft,  and  every  step 
we  made  took  us  almost  knee-deep  into  it.  Now  and 
then  I  had  to  look  at  my  compass  to  see  that  we  were 
going  in  the  right  direction,  for  there  was  no  path  what- 
ever ;  but  the  Ashira  said  we  would  find  one  after  pass- 
ing the  marshes;  that  it  was  a  hunting-path,  and  that 
there  we  would  meet  game.  The  fellows  were  already 
thinking  of  meat. 

When  night  came  on  we  stopped  on  a  hill  surrounded 


206  L OST  IN  THE  JUNGLE. 

by  bog ;  we  were  so  tired  that  we  had  not  the  strength 
to  build  our  shelters ;  besides,  there  were  no  large  leaves 
to  be  seen.  We  lighted  tremendous  fires,  but  toward 
midnight  I  was  awakened  by  the  sound  of  distant  thun- 
der, which  gradually  grew  louder  and  louder ;  then  flash- 
es of  lightning  glared  through  the  forest,  and  then  ter- 
rific claps  of  thunder  rolled  along  the  sky.  The  rain  be- 
gan to  pour  down  with  a  fury  that  flooded  the  country 
in  a  short  time ;  our  beds  of  leaves  were  saturated,  com- 
pelling us  to  get  up.  The  rain  kept  pouring  down  with 
increasing  violence.  We  had  not  built  our  fires  suffi- 
ciently high,  although  we  had  used  huge  pieces  of  wood 
that  ought  to  have  been  high  enough  from  the  ground 
to  prevent  the  rain  from  putting  them  out.  But  they 
were  getting  dimmer  and  dimmer,  and  at  last  we  were 
left  in  complete  darkness.  It  was  pitch  dark,  and  we 
could  not  even  see  each  other  except  when  a  flash  of 
lightning  would  brighten  the  forest. 

We  were  in  a  pretty  fix.  I  began  to  regret  that  we 
had  not  been  more  careful.  Leopards  and  other  wild 
beasts  might  be  prowling  about,  and  get  hold  of  some  of 
us.  What  would  the  Ashiras  say  if  one  of  their  number 
should  be  carried  away  by  a  wild  beast?  They  would 
call  me  a  bad  spirit. 

We  could  not  even  talk,  for  the  thunder  was  too  loud, 
and  drowned  our  voices ;  besides,  the  rain  made  a  great 
noise  as  it  fell  in  torrents  upon  the  trees,  and  from  their 
leaves  to  the  ground.  We  were  surrounded  by  tall  trees, 
and  I  was  afraid  that  some  of  them  might  be  struck  by 
the  lightning,  and  their  heavy  broken  limbs  fall  in  the 
midst  of  us. 

Ju  fact,  it  was  as  uncomfortable  a  night  as  any  one 


AN  UNCOMFORTABLE  NIGHT.  207 

could  wish  to  spend  in  the  jungle,  for  we  knew  not  what 
would  happen  next.  Toward  four  o'clock  in  the  morn- 
ing the  rain  ceased,  but  then  I  was  wet  to  the  bones ;  of 
course,  my  Ashiras  would  soon  dry.  We  lighted  our  firea 
once  more,  having  split  in  two  some  pieces  of  half-rotten 
logs  which  lay  near  by,  and  had  perhaps  lain  there  foi 
more  than  a  hundred  years,  the  heart  being  soft  and  dry. 
This  is  the  kind  of  wood  we  use  to  light  our  fires  with 
when  there  has  been  a  heavy  rain,  and  the  wood  that  has 
fallen  from  the  trees  is  wet  outside.  In  these  immense 
forests,  which  have  been  resting  in  their  gloomy  solitude 
for  ages,  the  growths  of  trees  succeed  one  after  the  oth- 
er. I  have  often  wondered  how  Africa  looked  before  it 
was  covered  with  this  dense  vegetation,  and  what  kind 
of  animals  it  had,  for  the  fauna  of  that  country  must 
have  changed  like  ours.  I  remembered  that  once  the  im- 
mense mastodon  roamed  through  America.  "With  these 
thoughts  I  went  to  sleep  in  clothes  wet  to  the  skin.  I 
took  a  large  dose  of  quinine,  however,  in  order  to  pre- 
vent a  chill,  which  probably  might  have  ensued  from 
such  a  severe  night. 

The  next  morning  I  dried  my  wet  clothes,  and  once 
more  we  went  bravely  into  the  great  jungle,  still  taking 
by  my  compass  a  northerly  direction  through  the  dense 
and  thorny  forest.  The  hunting-path  was  almost  a  myth, 
for  only  now  and  then  would  we  get  a  glimpse  of  it ;  but 
my  Ashira  men  seemed  to  know  almost  every  large  tree 
we  passed.  We  advanced  slowly,  our  manchettes  helping 
to  cut  the  undergrowth.  The  third  day  I  lost  my  only 
shirt — at  least  it  would  not  hold  together ;  and  one  of  the 
legs  of  my  pantaloons  was  torn  off  once,  and  I  had  to 
mend  it  with  the  fibre  of  the  bark  of  trees.  I  lost,  besides. 


208  LOST  13  THE  JUNGLE. 

many  patches  of  skin,  and  the  sharp  thorns  tore  my  flesh, 
Snakes  we  would  see  now  and  then. 

We  had  hardly  entered  the  jungle  that  first  morning 
before  I  heard  the  roar  of  the  gorilla.  This  at  once  re- 
vived my  drooping  spirits,  as  also  those  of  my  men,  who 
immediately  began  to  see  looming  up  before  them  large 
pieces  of  gorilla  meat  broiled  or  roasted  on  charcoal 

A  dead  silence  among  ourselves  followed  the  roar  of 
the  big  monster.  Each  Ashira,  as  if  by  instinct,  came 
close  to  me  for  protection.  We  had  not  far  to  go.  I 
went  off  in  an  easterly  direction  with  friend  Gambo, 
leaving  all  the  Ashiras  together  in  fear  of  the  gorilla. 
We  had  barely  gone  a  quarter  of  a  mile  in  the  direction 
from  whence  the  roar  proceeded  when  we  heard  what 
was  now  a  much  louder  roar,  this  time  quite  near.  We 
stood  quite  still,  for  fear  of  alarming  the  beast,  which  was 
evidently  approaching  us  unawares.  At  last  we  could 
see  the  bushes  bend  toward  us.  Gambo  and  I  looked  at 
each  other,  and  inspected  our  guns ;  they  were  all  right. 
A  feeling  of  safety  crept  over  us  of  course,  for  a  good 
gun,  with  a  steady  aim,  is  a  friend  in  need,  and  this  we 
thought  each  of  us  possessed. 

The  fear  of  alarming  the  gorilla,  however,  proved 
needless.  He  had  come  where  he  had  heard  a  noise, 
and  when  he  saw  us  he  at  once  struck  the  intervening 
bushes,  rose  to  an  erect  position,  made  a  few  steps  in 
a  waddling  sort  of  way,  stopped,  and  seated  himself ; 
then  beating  his  vast  breast,  which  resounded  like  an  old 
drum,  he  advanced  straight  upon  us.  His  dark  gray 
sunken  eyes  flashed  with  rage  ;  his  features  worked  con- 
vulsively; his  intensely  black  face  looked  horrid.  His 
huge  canines,  powerful  sinewy  hands,  and  immense  arms 


GORILLAS  DIE  EASILY.  209 

told  118  that  we  must  not  expect  mercy  from  the  mon- 
ster. At  every  few  paces  he  stopped,  and,  opening  his 
cavernous  mouth,  gave  vent  to  his  thunderous  roars, 
which  the  forest  gave  back  with  multiplied  echoes  until 
it  was  full  of  the  din. 

He  was  evidently  not  a  bit  alarmed,  but  quite  ready 
for  a  fight.  We  stood  perfectly  still.  He  advanced  till 
he  stood  beating  his  breast  within  about  six  yards  of  us, 
when  I  thought  it  time  to  put  an  end  to  the  scene.  My 
shot  hit  him  in  the  breast,  and  he  fell  forward  on  his 
face,  dead.  The  gorilla  seems  to  die  easy  if  shot  in  the 
right  place.  This  one  proved  to  be  a  middle-aged  male, 
and  a  very  fine  specimen,  but  it  was  utterly  impossible 
to  preserve  his  skin  in  that  great  jungle. 

In  a  short  time  all  the  Ashira  joined  us,  and  soon  after 
the  gorilla  was  cut  to  pieces,  the  hands  and  feet  being 
thrown  away,  and  the  brain  being  religiously  preserved 
for  fetiches. 

There  was  plenty  in  the  camp,  for  during  the  day  I 
killed  a  nice  little  ncheri  (gazelle),  when  I  also  had  a 
feast. 

We  were  now  fairly  in  the  midst  of  high  hills,  some- 
times going  down,  then  going  up ;  but,  to  save  me,  I 
could  not  tell  exactly  where  we  were  going.  Occasion- 
ally we  followed  the  tracks  that  elephants  had  made, 
but  finally  lost  them.  The  elephants  had  evidently  oft- 
en changed  their  minds,  and  retraced  their  steps  from 
whence  they  came.  I  could  not  tell  exactly  where  the 
mountains  of  the  Nkoumou-Nabouali  were.  The  com- 
pass became  of  no  use,  for  we  never  followed  two  min- 
utes the  same  direction.  At  the  rate  we  should  have 
had  to  go  through  the  forest,  taking  our  course  by  the 


j  1 0  L  OST  IN  THE  JUNGLE. 

compass,  we  should  have  required  perhaps  a  month  or 
more,  as  we  would  have  had  to  go  on  without  making 
use  of  the  clearings  that  we  found  now  and  then,  or  the 
tracks  made  by  the  wild  beasts,  or  the  little  streams  that 
came  down  from  the  hills.  In  fact,  we  would  have  had 
to  make  a  road.  The  woods  were  very  dense,  game  waa 
scarce,  and  at  last  we  had  but  one  day's  provisions  left. 
The  berries  were  not  plentiful — indeed,  for  two  or  three 
days  we  did  not  eat  to  our  heart's  content  for  fear  of 
running  through  our  provisions  too  fast. 

I  had  with  me  only  the  suit  of  clothes  I  wore  and  a 
spare  pair  of  pantaloons,  for  I  was  getting  very  poor,  and 
my  stock  of  garments  left  at  Olenda  was  small — indeed, 
it  was  so  small  that  it  was  next  to  nothing.  My  poor 
rags  could  hardly  be  kept  together.  At  times  we  had  to 
pass  through  dense  and  very  thorny  jungles,  where  briers 
were  as  thick  as  grass  on  a  prairie,  and  the  holes  in  my 
clothes  left  so  many  bare  spots  that  at  every  advance  my 
scratched  body  bore  witness  of  the  hard  time  we  had 
had,  and  of  the  difficulties  we  should  encounter  if  I  per- 
sisted in  advancing  into  these  mountains  where  there 
were  no  paths. 

It  came  into  my  head  that  the  Ashiras  did  not  want 
to  go ;  so  I  called  our  men  together,  and,  after  lighting  a 
bright  fire,  we  talked  over  "  the  situation,"  and  then  con- 
cluded that  we  had  better  return  rather  than  risk  certain 
death  by  starvation. 

We  rested  that  night  in  the  forest,  and  the  next  morn- 
ing I  gave  the  order  to  return,  feeling  quite  disappointed 
at  my  non-success.  We  set  out  praying  only  that  we 
might  not  starve.  We  still  were  in  good  spirits,  and 
laughed  over  our  misfortune,  although  hunger  began  to 


A  FS AS r  OF  HONEY.  211 

pinch  us  bard,  and  I  can  assure  you  it  is  not  a  very  pleas- 
ant thing.  "We  were  looking  for  berries  every  where, 
and  the  Ashiras  for  rat-holes  and  mice-nests,  for  mice  and 
rats  are  great  dainties  among  them ;  squirrels  and  mon- 
keys, wild  boars  and  antelopes,  Guinea-fowls,  parrots,  and 
even  serpents,  but  nothing  was  to  be  seen.  To  make  it 
worse,  we  lost  our  way.  We  had  been  careless  in  not 
breaking  boughs  of  trees  when  we  followed  the  ele- 
phant's tracks,  and  we  got  into  the  wrong  track  of  other 
elephants.  Once  lost  in  such  a  forest,  the  more  you  try 
to  find  your  way  the  more  you  generally  get  bewildered. 
At  last  I  took  my  compass,  and  we  directed  our  steps, 
with  its  help,  toward  the  south. 

On  a  sudden,  a  cry  of  joy  came  from  the  Ashira.  A 
bee's  hive  had  been  discovered  by  one  of  the  men.  lie 
pointed  us  to  a  big  tree.  "Look,"  said  he,  "just  where 
the  branches  start  from  the  trunk.  Don't  you  see  bees 
round  there  ?  There  is  a  big  hole  there,  and  the  bees 
have  their  hive  in  it."  As  we  saw  the  spot  we  all  cried 
out, "Yes,  there  is  a  bee-hive." 

Immediately  the  tree  was  ascended,  the  bees  smoked, 
not  out,  but  in,  for  we  wanted  plenty  of  food  ;  the  combs 
were  brought  down,  for  the  man  who  ascended  the  tree 
had  provided  himself  with  large  leaves  and  native  cords 
to  put  the  honey  in,  which  he  did,  tying  several  parcels 
round  his  neck.  As  soon  as  he  came  down  I  put  my 
hands  on  my  revolvers  and  said,"  I  would  blow  out  the 
brains  of  any  one  who  should  touch  the  honey  before  I 
gave  it  to  him."  So  every  thing  was  put  before  me.  1 
unfolded  the  large  leaves,  divided  the  honey  in  exactly 
equal  portions  for  each  of  us,  not  forgetting  to  put  in  the 
mixture  the  dead  smoked  bees,  the  worms,  the  comb,  the 


212  LOST  IN  THE  JUNGLE. 

honey,  and  the  dirt  that  was  among  it,  for  in  that  way 
we  had  more  of  it.  It  was  delicious !  perfectly  splendid ! 
dead  bees,  honey,  wax,  dirt,  worms,  went  down  as  fast  as 
we  could  possibly  eat  them,  and  when  done,  I  declared, 
"  I  wish,  boys,  we  had  more  of  this  honey."  This  sugges- 
tion of  mine  was  responded  to  by  a  vigorous  hurra,  all 
shouting,  Rovano !  rovano !  "  That  is  so,  that  is  so." 

We  got  up  after  our  meal,  all  feeling  rather  the  better 
for  it.  I  said  to  myself,  as  I  rose  and  felt  a  good  deal 
more  elasticity  in  my  legs, "  After  all,  honey  eaten  in  the 
way  we  have  done  is  far  more  strengthening  than  fine 
honey,  that  is  so  clear  and  clean."  It  is  wonderful, 
Young  Folks,  how  a  few  days  of  starvation  sharpens  the 
appetite.  You  can  not  understand  it  till  you  have  gone 
through  the  ordeal  of  hunger. 

In  the  afternoon,  just  after  descending  a  hill,  we  came 
to  a  very  thick  part  of  the  forest.  We  were  all  silent, 
for  we  wanted  to  kill  game,  when  suddenly  one  of  the 
men  close  to  me  made  us  a  sign  to  stop  and  keep  per- 
fectly still,  his  face  showing  excitement  and  fear.  I 
stopped  and  looked  at  him.  Without  saying  a  word,  he 
pointed  me  to  a  tree.  I  looked,  and  could  see  nothing ; 
I  was  looking  at  the  wrong  tree.  He  came  close  to  me, 
and  whispered  the  word  ngego  (leopard).  I  looked  in 
the  direction  indicated.  Truly  there  was  a  magnificent 
leopard  resting  flat  on  the  immense  horizontal  branch  of 
a  tree  not  more  than  fifteen  or  twenty  feet  from  the 
ground. 

We  had  narrowly  escaped,  for  we  had  to  pass  under 
that  tree.  The  leopard  had  seen  us,  and  was  looking  at 
us,  as  if  to  say, "  Why  do  you  disturb  me  in  my  sleep  ?" 
for  I  suppose,  as  they  move  but  seldom  in  the  daytime, 


LEOPARD  CUTLETS.  213 

he  intended  to  remain  there  for  the  day.  His  long  tail 
wagged ;  he  placed  himself  in  a  crouching  position, 
ready  to  spring  on  some  of  us,  hoping,  I  dare  say,  thus 
to  secure  his  dinner.  His  glaring  eyes  seemed  to  look 
at  me,  and,  just  as  I  thought  he  was  ready  to  spring,  I 
fired  between  his  two  eyes,  and  the  shot  went  right 
through  his  head,  and  down  he  fell  with  a  heavy  crash, 
giving  a  fearful  groan.  He  tried  to  get  up  again,  but 
another  shot  finished  him,  and  then  the  tremendous  war- 
shouts  of  the  Ashiras  rang  through  the  forest.  I  shot 
that  leopard  at  a  distance  of  not  more  than  eight  or  ten 
yards.* 

The  leopard  was  hardly  on  the  ground  before  we  rush- 
ed in  with  our  knives.  A  heavy  blow  of  the  axe  partly 
severed  his  head  from  his  neck.  "VVe  cut  off  his  tail  to 
take  it  back  to  town,  and  then  took  his  claws  off,  to  give 
them  to  Olenda  for  a  necklace.  The  leopard  was  cut  in 
pieces,  and  we  lighted  a  big  fire,  or,  rather,  several  big 
fires. 

This  leopard  was  fat — very  fat,  but  smelt  very  strong — • 
awfully  so.  The  ribs  looking  the  best,  I  thought  I  would 
try  them  and  have  some  cutlets — real  leopard  cutlets.  I. 
flattened  them  and  pounded  them  with  the  axe  in  order 
to  make  them  tender.  By  that  time  the  fire  had  burned 
up  well,  so  I  took  from  it  a  lot  of  bright  burning  char- 
coal, and  put  my  cutlets  on  it.  The  cutlets  soon  after- 
ward began  to  crisp ;  the  fat  dropped  down  on  the  char- 
coal, and  a  queer  fragrance  filled  the  atmosphere  round. 
Then  I  put  on  the  cutlets  a  little  salt  I  had  with  me, 
rubbed  them  with  some  Cayenne  pepper,  and  immediate- 
ly after  I  began  to  go  into  them  in  earnest.  The  meat 
*  See  Frontispiece. 


214  L  OST  IN  THE  JUNGLE. 

was  strong,  and  had  an  odor  of  musk,  which  was  very 
disagreeable.  I  found  it  so  at  the  third  cutlet,  and  when 
I  had  done  I  took  some  salt  in  my  mouth,  mixed  with 
Cayenne  pepper,  in  order  to  see  if  I  could  not  get  rid  of 
the  taste ;  I  could  not.  I  wished  then  that  the  leopard 
had  been  some  other  animal. 

This  hard  work,  starvation,  and  wet  at  nights,  began  to 
tell  upon  me.  Besides,  I  had  made  no  discoveries,  and 
I  began  to  wish  that  I  had  listened  to  friend  Olenda. 
His  sarcastic  and  hollow  laugh  came  back  to  me.  His 
prophetic  words,  "  I  tell  you,  Moguizi,  that  no  one  ever 
ascended  the  jS'koumou-Nabouali,"  were  remembered. 

I  began  to  feel  weaker  and  weaker,  and  when  I  awoke 
two  days  after  killing  the  leopard,  I  rose  with  difficulty 
from  my  bed  of  leaves.  We  set  forward  without  break- 
fast. I  dared  not  send  men  in  the  forest  for  berries ;  we 
must  be  contented  with  those  we  should  find  on  our 
route,  for  every  hour  was  precious,  and  they  might  not 
find  any,  after  all.  So  we  walked  on  with  empty  stom- 
achs, longing  for  a  sight  of  the  Ashira  country. 

I  could  not  be  mistaken;  my  compass  was  in  good  or- 
der ;  I  had  taken  into  account  its  variation.  We  were 
going  south,  if  not  right  straight,  at  least  in  a  general 
southern  direction. 

On,  and  on,  and  on,  through  the  gloomy  jungle,  no  man 
saying  a  word  to  the  other,  and  every  man  looking  anx- 
iously for  the  first  sight  of  prairie-land,  which,  with  my 
diseased  brain,  weakened  by  hunger,  was  to  me  like  a 
fairy-land. 

At  last,  on  the  afternoon  of  a  day  which  I  have  never 
forgotten,  a  sudden  lighting  of  the  forest  gloom  told  us 
that  an  open  country  was  near  at  hand.  With  a  certain 


THE  OPEN  CO UNTR  Y  AT  LAST.  215 

renewal  of  strength  and  hope  we  set  off  on  a  run,  caring 
not  how  the  jungle  would  tear  us  to  pieces,  till  we  reached 
a  village  at  the  very  bounds  of  the  bush.  Here  the  peo- 
ple were  much  alarmed  at  our  appearance  and  our  fran- 
tic actions.  "  Food !  food !  food !"  shouted  the  Ashiras. 
That  was  all  they  could  say.  When  they  discovered  that 
we  did  not  mean  mischief,  they  approached.  The  chief 
had  seen  me  at  Olenda,  and  he  made  haste  with  his  peo- 
ple to  supply  our  necessities  with  all  manner  of  food  in 
their  possession— plantains,  pine-apples,  cassada,  yams, 
fowls,  smoked  fish.  The  chief  gave  me  a  royal  present 
of  a  goat,  which  we  killed  in  the  wink  of  an  eye.  I  ate 
so  much  that  I  feared  I  should  be  ill  from  putting  too 
large  a  share  into  my  so  long  empty  stomach. 

We  were  so  merry  during  that  evening.  I  told  the 
good  old  chief  to  come  and  see  me  at  Olenda,  and  that 
I  would  give  him  a  nice  present  there. 

The  next  morning  we  reached  Olenda.  The  old  chief, 
of  whom  I  did  not  'wonder  people  were  afraid,  came  to 
meet  me  at  the  entrance  of  the  village,  for  we  had  been 
firing  guns  to  announce  our  arrival,  and,  as  soon  as  he 
saw  me,  lie  said,  in  his  deep,  hollow,  and  piercing  voice, 
"  Moguizi,  no  Ashira  has  ever  be«an  or  will  ever  go  to 
the  top  of  the  Nkoumou-Nabouali !" 

My  boy  Macondai  was  very  glad  to  see  me  again,  and 
came  with  tears  of  joy  to  welcome  me.  The  people 
were  all  pleased  to  see  us. 

A  child,  said  to  be  a  sorcerer,  was  bound  with  cords, 
and  was  to  be  killed  the  next  day.  After  a  great  deal  of 
talking  to  Olenda,  the  boy  was  not  to  be  killed.  I  was 
glad  I  had  come  in  time  to  save  his  life. 

The  weather  by  this  time   was  getting  oppressively 


216  L  OST  IN  THE  JUNGLE. 

hot  in  the  prairie.  My  long  black  hair  was  hanging 
too  heavily  on  my  shoulders.  I  wore  it  very  long  in  or- 
der to  astonish  the  natives.  Every  chief  wanted  me  to 
give  him  a  lock  of  my  hair,  and  this  they  considered  a 
very  great  present.  They  would  immediately  go  to  the 
Alumbi  house  to  lay  it  at  the  foot  of  the  idol,  but  more 
generally  it  was  worn  as  a  fetich. 

I  resolved  to  have  my  hair  cut,  as  it  was  too  long  for 
comfort.  I  gave  Makondai  a  large  pair  of  scissors  I  had 
with  me.  Of  course  I  did  not  expect  him  to  cut  my 
hair  as  a  Fifth  Avenue  or  fashionable  hotel  barber  would 
do,  the  chief  point  being  that  he  should  cut  it  tolerably 
short.  In  the  interior  of  Africa  I  was  not  obliged  to 
bother  myself  about  the  latest  style.  Collars  and  neck- 
ties were  unknown  to  me.  When  he  had  done  he  gather- 
ed up  the  hair  and  threw  it  in  the  street. 

I  was  surprised  some  time  after  to  hear  a  noise  of 
scuffling  and  fighting,  accompanied  by  awful  shouting. 
I  came  out  of  my  hut  to  see  what  was  the  matter.  They 
were  busily  engaged  in  securing  my  hair,  that  the  wind 
had  scattered  all  around,  each  man  picking  up  as  much 
as  he  could,  and  trying  to  prevent  his  neighbor  from 
getting  any,  so  that  he  might  have  more  to  himself.  Even 
old  King  Olenda  was  in  the  scramble  for  a  share.  He 
could  not  trust  his  people.  He  was  afraid  he  would  not 
get  any  if  he  depended  upon  them,  and  when  I  saw  him 
he  had  a  lock  which  his  head  wife  had  found  for  him.  I 
never  saw  such  a  scramble  for  hair  before ;  they  look- 
ed and  looked  after  a  scattered  hair  all  day,  and  when 
they  gave  up  the  search  I  am  sure  not  a  hair  could  have 
been  found  on  the  ground. 


CHAPTER  XXVII. 

DEPARTURE  FOR  THE  APINGI  COUNTRY. THE  OVIGUI  RIVER. 

DANGEROUS  BRIDGE  TO  CROSS. HOW  THE  BRIDGE  WAS 

BUILT. GLAD    TO    ESCAPE    DROWNING. ON    THE   WAY. 

REACH   THE   OLOUMY. 

YONDER,  in  a  northeasterly  direction,  lies  a  country 
where  live  a  strange  people  called  Apingi.  The  Ashira, 
who  now  and  then  visit  the  country,  say  that  a  large 
river  flows  through  it,  and  that  the  river,  which  is  called 
Ngouyai,  runs  also  at  the  foot  of  the  Nkoumou-Nabouali 
Mountains.  On  the  banks  of  that  large  stream  many 
strange  tribes  of  men  live,  of  whom  they  have  heard, 
but  have  never  seen. 

Our  evenings  were  often  spent  in  talking  about  that 
strange  country.  It  was  said  there  was  an  immense  for- 
est between  it  and  Ashira  Land,  and  that  there  were 
paths  leading  to  it  through  the  jungle,  which  was  be- 
lieved to  be  very  dense. 

One  morning  I  went  to  Olenda  and  said  to  him, "  King, 
I  wish  to  go  to  the  Apingi  country,  and  I  want  you  to 
give  me  people  to  accompany  me."  The  old  man,  with 
his  little  deep,  sunken  eyes,  regarded  me  for  a  little 
while,  for  he  seemed  never  tired  of  looking  at  me,  then 
said,  "Moguizi,  you  shall  go  to  the  Apingi  country,  and 
I  will  give  you  people  who  have  been  there  to  accom- 
pany you."  And  then  he  repeated  his  kombo,  which  I 
have  given  to  you  before,  and  returned  to  his  hut. 


218  LOST  IN  THE  JUNGLE. 

If  Olenda  was  not  tired  of  looking  at  me,  I  must  say 
that  I  was  never  tired  of  looking  at  him,  for  so  old  a  per- 
son I  had  never  seen  in  my  life.  I  have  often  wonder- 
ed if  Olenda  was  not  the  oldest  person  living  in  the 
world.  I  believe  he  was. 

"When  the  king  gave  the  order  to  get  ready  for  my  de- 
parture, great  preparations  were  made.  Food  was  col- 
lected and  cooked  for  my  trip,  quantities  of  ripe  plantain 
were  boiled  and  then  smoked,  and  then,  the  food  being 
ready,  the  people  came  who  had  been  ordered  by  the 
king  to  accompany  me.  Olenda  gave  me  three  of  his 
sons,  or,  I  should  rather  say,  great-grandchildren.  They 
were  to  be  the  leaders.  Adouma,  Quengneza's  nephew, 
was  the  only  stranger  who  was  allowed  to  accompany 
me.  This  was  a  great  favor,  for  the  law  was  very  strict 
in  that  land  that  no  Commi  should  be  permitted  to  go 
farther  than  the  Ashira  Land.  Macondai  was  too  small. 
I  was  afraid  he  would  die  from  the  hardships  we  should 
encounter  in  the  jungle.  Olenda  was  to  take  care  of 
him. 

The  names  of  Olenda's  three  great-grandchildren  were 
Minsho,  Iguy,  and  Aiaguy.  Minsho,  being  the  eldest, 
was  to  be  the  chief. 

It  was  a  bad  time  of  the  year  to  start,  for  we  were 
in  the  beginning  of  December.  It  rained  every  day, 
and  tornadoes  coming  from  that  very  Apingi  country 
blew  over  us  toward  the  sea.  All  the  rivers  were  rising. 
In  the  valleys  there  was  a  great  deal  of  water,  but  the 
prairie  looked  very  green  and  beautiful.  For  the  last 
few  days  it  had  been  raining  almost  without  intermis- 
sion, and  we  had  to  delay  our  departure  on  account  of 
the  swollen  state  of  the  rivers. 


OLENDA  GIVES  US  HIS  BLESSING.  219 

But  at  last,  on  the  6th  of  December,  1858,  there  was  a 
great  commotion  in  the  village  of  Olenda,  for  we  were 
really  about  to  start.  Olenda  had  come  out,  and  was 
surrounded  by  his  people.  He  had  called  our  party,  and 
admonished  his  great-grandsons  to  take  care  of  his  mo- 
guizi,  for  the  moguizi  was  his  friend,  and  had  come  to 
him,  Olenda.  If  Olenda  had  not  been  living,  lie  would 
never  have  come  into  the  country.  The  whole  people 
shouted  with  one  voice, "  That  is  so."  Then  the  old  king 
proceeded  formally  to  bless  us,  and  to  Mrish  us  good  suc- 
cess, and  that  no  harm  should  befall  us  on  the  road. 

On  this  occasion  his  majesty  was  painted  with  the 
chalk  or  ochre  of  the  Alumbi,  and  had  daubed  himself 
with  the  ochres  of  his  most  valiant  ancestors,  and  with 
that  of  his  mother.  lie  invoked  their  spirits  to  be  with 
us,  and  afterward  took  a  piece  of  Avild  cane,  bit  off  sev- 
eral pieces  of  the  pith,  and  spat  a  little  of  the  juice  in 
the  hand  of  each  one  of  the  party,  at  the  same  time  blow- 
ing on  their  hands.  Then,  in  his  sonorous  and  hollow 
voice,  which  hardly  seemed  human,  he  said,  solemnly, 
"  Let  all  have  good  speed  with  you,  and  may  your  road 
be  as  smooth  (pleasant)  as  the  breath  I  blow  on  your 
hands." 

Then  Minsho  received  the  cane,  of  which  he  was  to 
take  great  care,  as,  if  it  were  lost,  heavy  misfortunes 
would  happen  to  us,  but  as  long  as  he  kept  it  all  would 
be  well.  Minsho  was  to  bring  back  the  cane  to  Olenda. 

Immediately  after  this  we  started,  taking  a  path  lead- 
ing toward  the  northeast.  The  prairie  in  the  valleys 
was  very  swampy,  the  heavy  rains  having  overflowed  the 
lands,  and  we  had  to  walk  through  considerable  pools  of 
standing  water.  In  one  of  these  swamps  we  had  to  wade 


220  L  OST  IN  THE  JUNGLE. 

up  to  our  waists  in  muddy  water,  and  several  of  the  party 
slipped  down  and  seated  themselves  in  a  manner  they  did 
not  like,  to  the  great  merriment  of  the  others,  whose  turn 
was  to  come  next,  and  who,  when  laughing  at  their  neigh- 
bors' misfortunes,  fancied  they  could  go  through  safely. 
As  for  myself,  being  short  in  stature,  I  had  the  water  on 
several  occasions  higher  than  my  waist. 

Toward  noon  we  approached  the  Ovigui  Eiver,  a  moun- 
tain torrent  which  had  now  swollen  into  a  river,  and  be- 
fore reaching  its  natural  banks  we  had  to  pass  through 
a  swamp  in  the  forest  for  half  an  hour.  The  torrent  had 
overflowed,  and  its  waters  were  running  swiftly  down 
among  the  trees.  I  began  to  wonder  how  we  were  to 
cross  the  bridge.  The  Ashiras  had  been  speaking  of 
that  bridge,  and,  in  fact,  we  had  delayed  our  start  two  or 
three  days  because  they  said  the  waters  were  too  high. 

At  last  we  came  to  a  spot  where  the  ground  was  dry, 
and  a  little  way  farther  I  could  see  the  swift  waters  of 
the  Ovigui  gliding  down  with  great  speed  through  the 
forest.  I  saw  at  once  that  even  an  expert  swimmer 
would  be  helpless  here,  and  would  be  dashed  to  pieces 
against  the  fallen  trees  which  jutted  out  in  every  direc- 
tion. ]^ot  being  a  very  good  swimmer,  I  did  not  enjoy 
the  sight.  There  was  one  consolation,  no  crocodile  could 
stand  this  current,  and  these  pleasant  "  gentlemen"  had 
therefore  retired  to  parts  unknown. 

I  wanted  all  the  time  to  get  a  glimpse  of  the  bridge, 
but  had  not  succeeded  in  doing  so.  I  called  Minsho,  who 
pointed  out  to  me  a  queer  structure  which  he  called  the 
bridge.  It  was  nothing  but  a  creeper  stretched  from  one 
side  to  the  other. 

Then  Minsho  told  me  that  some  years  before  the  bed 


A  PERILOUS  CROSSING.  221 

of  the  river  was  not  where  we  stood,  but  some  hundred 
yards  over  the  other  side.  "  This,"  he  said,  "  is  one  of 
the  tricks  of  the  Ovigui."  I  found  that  several  other  of 
these  mountain  streams  have  the  same  trick.  Of  course 
Minsho  said  that  there  was  a  muiri  (a  spirit)  who  took 
the  river  and  changed  its  course,  for  nothing  else  could 
do  it  but  a  spirit.  The  deep  channel  of  the  Ovigui 
seemed  to  me  about  thirty  yards  wide.  Now  in  this  new 
bed  stood  certain  trees  which  native  ingenuity  saw  could 
be  used  as  "  piers"  for  a  bridge.  At  this  point  in  the 
stream  there  were  two  trees  opposite  each  other,  and 
about  seven  or  eight  yards  distant  from  each  shore.  Oth- 
er trees  on  the  banks  were  so  cut  as  to  fall  upon  these, 
which  might  have  been  called  the  piers.  So  a  gap  had 
been  filled  on  each  side.  It  now  remained  to  unite  the 
still  open  space  in  the  centre,  between  the  two  "  piers," 
and  here  came  the  tug.  Unable  to  transport  heavy 
pieces  of  timber,  they  had  thrown  across  this  chasm  a 
long,  slender,  bending  limb,  which  they  fastened  securely . 
to  the  "piers."  Of  course  no  one  could  walk  on  this 
without  assistance,  so  a  couple  of  strong  vines  (lianas) 
had  been  strung  across  for  balustrades.  These  were 
about  three  or  four  feet  above  the  bridge,  and  about  one 
foot  higher  up  the  stream. 

I  could  barely  see  the  vine,  and  my  heart  failed  me  as 
I  stood  looking  at  this  breakneck  or  drowning  concern. 
To  add  to  the  pleasurable  excitement,  Minsho  told  me 
that,  on  a  bridge  below,  half  a  dozen  people  had  been 
drowned  the  year  before  by  tumbling  into  the  river. 
"  They  were  careless  in  crossing,"  added  Minsho,  "  or 
some  person  had  bewitched  them."  The  waters  of  the 
Ovigui  ran  down  so  fast  that  looking  at  them  for  any 


222 


LOST  IN  THE  JUNGLE. 


length  of  time  made  my  head  dizzy.  I  was  in  a  pretty 
fix.  I  could  certainly  not  back  out.  I  preferred  to  run 
the  risk  of  being  drowned  rather  than  to  show  these 


CROSSING   T1IE   OVIGC1   BIVEB. 


Ashira  I  was  afraid,  and  to  tell  them  that  we  had  better 
go  back.  I  think  I  should  never  have  dared  to  look 
them  in  the  face  afterward.  The  whole  country  would 


HOLD  ON  FAST  TO  THE  ROPE!  223 

have  known  that  I  had  been  afraid.  The  moguizi  would 
have  then  been  nowhere.  A  coward  I  should  have  been 
called  by  the  savages.  Rather  die,  I  thought,  than  to 
have  such  a  reputation. 

I  am  sure  all  the  boys  who  read  this  book  would  have 
had  the  same  feelings,  and  that  girls  could  never  look 
at  a  boy  who  is  not  possessed  of  courage. 

The  engraving  before  you  will  help  to  give  a  good 
idea  of  the  bridge  I  have  just  described  to  you,  and  of 
our  mode  of  crossing. 

The  party  had  got  ready,  and  put  their  loads  as  high 
on  their  backs  as  they  could,  and  in  such  a  manner  that 
these  loads  should  slip  into  the  river  if  an  accident  were 
to  happen.  The  crossing  began,  and  I  watched  them 
carefully.  They  did  not  look  straight  across,  but  faced 
the  current,  which  was  tremendous.  The  water  reached 
to  their  waists,  and  the  current  was  so  swift  that  their 
bodies  could  not  remain  erect,  but  were  bent  in  two. 
They  held  on  to  the  creeper  and  advanced  slowly  side- 
ways, never  raising  their  feet  from  the  bridge,  for  if  they 
had  done  otherwise  the  current  would  have  carried  them 
off  the  structure. 

One  of  the  men  slipped  when  midway,  but  luckily  re- 
covered himself.  He  dropped  his  load,  among  the  arti- 
cles in  which  were  two  pairs  of  shoes ;  but  he  held  on  to 
the  rope  and  finished  the  "  journey"  by  crossing  one  arm 
over  the  other.  It  was  a  curious  sight.  We  shouted, 
"  Hold  on  fast  to  the  rope !  hold  on  fast !"  The  noise  and 
shouting  we  did  was  enough  to  make  one  deaf. 

Another,  carrying  one  of  my  guns,  so  narrowly  escaped 
falling  as  to  drop  that,  which  was  also  swept  off  and  lost. 
Meantime  I  wondered  if  I  should  follow  in  the  wake  of 


224  LOST  IN  THE  JUNGLE. 

my  shoes  and  gun.  At  any  rate,  I  was  bound  to  show 
the  Ashira  that  I  was  not  afraid  to  cross  the  bridge,  even, 
as  I  have  said,  at  the  risk  of  being  drowned.  It  would 
have  been  a  pretty  thing  to  have  these  people  believe 
that  I  was  susceptible  of  fear.  The  next  thing  would 
have  been  that  I  should  have  been  plundered,  then  mur- 
dered. These  fellows  had  a  great  advantage  over  me. 
Their  garments  did  not  trouble  them. 

At  last  all  were  across  but  Minsho,  Adouma,  and  my- 
self. I  had  stripped  to  my  shirt  and  trowsers,  and  set 
out  on  my  trial,  followed  by  Minsho,  who  had  a  vague 
idea  that  if  I  slipped  he  might  catch  me.  Adouma  went 
ahead.  Before  reaching  the  bridge  I  had  to  wade  in  the 
muddy  water.  Then  I  went  upon  it  and  marched  slow- 
ly against  the  tide,  never  raising  my  feet,  till  at  last  I 
came  to  the  tree.  There  the  current  was  tremendous.  I 
thought  it  would  carry  my  legs  off  the  bridge,  which  was 
now  three  feet  under  the  water.  I  felt  the  water  beating 
against  my  legs  and  waist.  I  advanced  carefully,  feeling 
my  way  and  slipping  my  feet  along  without  raising  them. 
The  current  was  so  strong  that  my  arms  were  extended 
to  their  utmost  length,  and  the  water,  as  it  struck  against 
my  body,  bent  it.  The  water  was  really  cold,  but,  despite 
of  that,  perspiration  fell  from  my  face,  I  was  so  excited. 
I  managed  to  drag  myself  to  the  other  side,  holding  fast 
to  the  creeper,  having  made  up  my  mind  never  to  let  go 
as  long  as  I  should  have  strength  to  hold  on.  Should  my 
feet  give  way,  I  intended  to  do  like  the  other  man,  and 
get  over  by  crossing  one  arm  over  the  other.  At  last, 
weak  and  pale  with  excitement,  but  outwardly  calm,  I 
reached  the  other  side,  vowing  that  I  would  never  try 
such  navigation  again.  I  would  rather  have  faced  sev 


WE  REACH  ODJIOLO  PRAIRIE.  22d 

eral  gorillas,  lions,  elephants,  and  leopards,  than  cross  the 
Ovigui  bridge. 

Putting  ourselves  in  walking  order  again,  we  plunged 
into  the  great  forest,  which  was  full  of  ebony,  barwood, 
India-rubber,  and  other  strange  trees.  About  two  miles 
from  the  Ovigui  we  reached  a  little  prairie,  some  miles 
long  and  a  few  hundred  yards  wide,  which  the  natives 
called  Odjiolo.  It  seemed  like  a  little  island  incased  in 
that  great  sea  of  trees. 

What  a  nice  little  spot  it  would  have  been  to  build  a 
camp  under  some  of  the  tall,  long-spread  branches  of 
trees  which  bordered  it!  But  there  was  no  time  for 
camping.  There  were  to  be  no  stops  during  the  daytime 
till  we  reached  the  Apingi  country. 

A  few  miles  after  leaving  the  Odjiolo  prairie  we  came 
to  a  steep  hill  called  Mount  Oconcou.  As  we  ascended 
we  had  to  lay  hold  of  the  branches  in  order  to  help  our- 
selves in  the  ascent,  and  we  had  to  stop  several  times  in 
order  to  get  our  breath.  We  finally  reached  a  plateau 
from  which  we  could  see  Nkoumou-Nabouali  Mount- 
ains. Then  we  surmounted  the  other  hills,  with  inter- 
vening plains  and  valleys,  all  covered  with  dense  forest, 
and  at  last  found  ourselves  on  the  banks  of  a  most  beau- 
tiful little  purling  mountain  brook,  which  skirted  the 
base  of  our  last  hill.  This  nice  little  stream  was  called 
the  Aloumy  or  Oloumy.  Here  we  lit  our  fires,  built 
shelters,  and  camped  for  the  night,  all  feeling  perfectly 
tired  out,  and  I,  for  one,  thankful  for  the  nice  camp  we 
had  succeeded  in  building,  for  I  needed  a  good  night's 
rest 


CHAPTER  XXYIII. 

A   GORILLA. HOW   HE    ATTACKED    ME. 1   KILL   HIM. MIN- 

8HO    TELLS   A    STORY   OF   TWO   GORILLAS    FIGHTING. WB 

MEET   KING   REMANDJI. 1   FALL    INTO   AN   ELEPHANT-PIT. 

— REACH   APING!   LAND. 

THE  next  morning  we  felt  ranch  refreshed,  and  once 
more  entered  the  forest,  following  a  footpath  which  was 
sometimes  good,  but  oftener  very  bad.  The  country  be- 
came more  rugged  and  mountainous.  On  every  side  we 
met  beautiful  little  streams  of  water  wending  their  way 
through  the  woods.  Very  often  we  had  to  march  in  the 
bed  of  some  purling  brook,  as  the  easiest  way  we  could 
find.  This  second  day  was  exceedingly  trying  to  our 
feet,  for  we  made  our  way  the  greatest  part  of  the  time 
through  a  dense  and  gloomy  forest.  Several  times  we 
heard,  at  a  great  distance,  the  roar  of  the  gorilla  and  the 
heavy  footsteps  of  elephants.  We  heard  also  the  cries 
of  the  nshiego-mbouve,  and  now  and  then  the  shrill  cry 
of  a  monkey. 

In  the  afternoon  I  was  startled  by  the  roar  of  a  gorilla, 
and  it  was  three  quarters  of  an  hour  before  we  came  near 
him.  He  was  then  close  to  the  path  we  were  following, 
and  roared  incessantly.  I  find  that  I  can  not  get  accus- 
tomed to  the  roar  of  the  gorilla,  notwithstanding  the 
number  I  have  hunted  and  shot ;  it  is  still  an  awful  sound 
to  me.  The  long  reverberations  coming  from  his  power- 
ful chest,  the  vindictive  bark  by  which  each  roar  is  pre- 


THE  APPROACH  OF  A  GORILLA.  22 1 

ceded  when  about  to  attack,  the  hollow  monotone  of  the 
first  explosion,  the  ugly,  ferocious  look  which  he  gives  to 
his  enemies,  all  are  awe-inspiring,  and  proclaim  the  great 
beast  the  monarch  of  the  forest  of  Equatorial  Africa. 

When  we  came  near  him,  he,  in  turn,  at  once  made 
toward  us,  uttering  a  succession  of  bark-like  yells,  denot- 
ing his  rage,  and  reminding  me  of  the  inarticulate  rav- 
ings of  a  maniac.  Balancing  his  huge  body  with  his 
arm,  the  animal  approached  us,  every  few  moments 
stopping  to  beat  his  breast,  and  throwing  his  head  back 
to  utter  his  tremendous  roar.  His  fierce,  gloomy  eyes 
glared  upon  us,  the  short  hair  on  the  top  of  his  head  was 
rapidly  agitated,  and  the  wrinkled  face  was  contorted 
with  rage.  It  was  like  a  very  devil,  and  I  do  not  won- 
der at  the  superstitious  terror  with  which  the  natives  re- 
gard the  monster. 

His  manner  of  approach  gave  me  once  more  an  oppor- 
tunity of  seeing  with  how  much  difficulty  he  maintains 
himself  in  an  erect  posture.  His  short  legs  are  not  able 
firmly  to  support  the  vast  body.  They  totter  beneath 
the  great  weight,  and  the  walk  is  a  sort  of  waddle,  in 
which  the  long  and  prodigiously  strong  arms  are  used  in 
a  clumsy  way  to  balance  the  body,  and  keep  up  the  ill- 
sustained  equilibrium.  Twice  he  sat  down  to  roar. 

My  gun  had,  of  course,  been  loaded  in  the  morning  (I 
always  took  care  to  reload  my  guns  each  day),  and  could 
thus  be  depended  upon,  so  I  shouldered  it,  feeling  easy. 
I  waited  till  he  was  close  enough,  and  then,  as  he  once 
more  stopped  to  roar,  I  delivered  my  fire,  and  brought 
him  down  on  his  face — dead. 

His  huge  body  proclaimed  his  giant  strength.  There 
is  enough  humanity  in  the  beast  to  make  a  dead  one  an 


228  LOST  IN  THE  JUNGLE. 

awful  sight,  even  to  accustomed  eyes,  as  mine  were  by 
this  time.  It  was  as  though  I  had  killed  some  monstrous 
creature  which  had  something  of  the  man  in  it. 

We  could  do  nothing  with  the  gorilla,  so  the  Ashiras 
took  as  much  meat  out  of  his  body  as  they  could  conve- 
niently carry.  We  cut  his  head  off  and  carried  it  with 
us.  It  was  a  huge  and  horrible  head.  Looking  at  his 
enormous  canine  teeth,  I  saw  at  once  that  the  monster 
must  have  had  a  tremendous  fight  a  year  or  two  before, 
for  one  of  them  had  been  broken  off  in  the  socket  of 
the  jaw.  What  a  grand  sight  it  must  be  to  see  a  goril- 
la fight !  This  reminded  me  of  the  stories  I  had  some- 
times heard  from  the  natives  regarding  the  fearful  con- 
flicts the  male  gorillas  have  among  themselves  for  the 
possession  of  a  wife.  Indeed,  the  fight  that  this  one  was 
engaged  in  must  have  been  a  severe  one,  for  not  only  had 
one  of  his  large  teeth  been  broken,  but  one  of  his  arms 
was  shorter  than  the  other,  and  had  evidently  been  broken 
and  united  again,  not,  I  am  sure,  by  a  surgeon-gorilla,  for 
I  do  not  believe  they  have  any,  but  nature  and  time  were 
the  healing  processes.  There  is  a  skeleton  of  a  gorilla  in 
the  British  Museum,  the  arm  of  which  had  been  broken, 
no  doubt,  in  some  conflict,  but  when  the  animal  was  killed 
the  wound  had  healed,  and  the  bones  of  the  arm  had 
united. 

Minsho  promised  to  tell  us  the  story  of  a  fight  between 
two  gorillas  in  the  evening  by  the  camp-fire. 

How  tremendous  that  blow  must  have  been,  I  thought, 
in  order  to  break  that  powerful  muscular  and  thick-set 
bony  arm !  The  forest  must  have  been  filled  with  the 
loud  yells  of  the  monster  as  he  fought  desperately  against 
his  enemy. 


MINSHO 'S  GORILLA  STOKY.  03^ 

We  continued  our  way  after  fording  a  stream  about 
one  hundred  and  twenty  feet  wide,  called  the  Louvendji, 
carrying  our  gorilla's  head  with  us,  and  toward  dusk  built 
our  camp.  After  we  had  seated  ourselves  by  the  fire- 
side, and  I  had  taken  my  own  modest  meal,  Minsho  got 
up,  after  filling  himself  with  gorilla  meat,  and  said, "  Mo- 
guizi,  I  promised  you,  after  you  had  killed  this  big  goril- 
la this  morning,  that  I  would  tell  you  a  gorilla  story. 
Are  you  ready  to  hear  it  ?"  "  I  am  ready  to  hear  it,"  I 
said,"  and  all  the  party  shouted  "All  are  ready  to  hear 
it." 

"  Long  ago,"  said  he,  "  before  I  was  born,  and  in  the 
time  of  my  father — for  the  story  I  am  going  to  tell  you 
is  from  my  father — there  was  a  terrible  gorilla  fight  in 
the  woods.  My  father  had  been  cutting  down  trees  in 
the  forest  in  order  to  make  a  plantation,  and  was  return- 
ing home,  when  suddenly  he  heard,  not  far  from  him,  the 
yells  of  gorillas,  and  he  knew  that  the  beasts  were  coming 
quickly  toward  him. 

"  Not  far  from  where  he  stood  there  was  a  large  hol- 
low tree,  into  which  he  at  once  entered  and  hid  himself, 
for  he  was  afraid  of  the  gorillas.  He  had  with  him  only 
his  axe,  and  of  course  could  not  dream  of  fighting  the 
gorillas,  especially  as  there  were  twro  of  them.  He  had 
hardly  entered  his  hiding-place  before  the  gorillas  made 
their  appearance.  My  father  trembled  with  fear  lest 
they  should  discover  where  he  was,  but  they  were  so  en- 
raged at  each  other  that  they  did  not  busy  themselves 
about  what  surrounded  them." 

Minsho  was  getting  excited,  and  his  eyes  began  to  spar- 
kle as  he  came  to  the  fighting  part  of  his  story.  There 
was  a  pause  and  a  dead  silence,  for  we  wanted  to  hear 


230  LOST  IN  THE  JUNGLE. 

t 

about  the  fight  of  the  two  gorillas.  Minsho  suddenly 
gave  a  tremendous  yell  in  the  Ashira  fashion.  "  Now,* 
said  he,  "  open  your  ears,  for  you  are  going  to  hear  what 
my  father  saw. 

"  The  two  gorillas  seized  each  other  and  rolled  on  the 
ground,  yelling.  One  at  last  gave  the  other  a  bite,  which 
made  his  enemy  give  an  awful  shriek  of  pain.  They 
then  got  up,  their  faces  covered  with  blood,  their  bodies 
lacerated,  and,  looking  fiercely  at  one  another  with  their 
deep-sunken  eyes,  each  gave  a  yell  of  defiance,  and  both 
slowly  advanced  again ;  then  the  larger,  which  was  prob- 
ably the  elder,  stopped,  both  wanting  rest  in  order  to 
breathe,  and  then  they  pounced  upon  each  other,  scream- 
ing, yelling,  bellowing,  beating  their  chests,  retreating, 
and  advancing.  At  last  they  both  stood  on  their  hind 
legs  a  few  rods  from  each  other,  their  eyes  seeming  to 
flash  fire,  and  advanced  once  more  for  a  deadly  fight, 
when  the  older  and  bigger  one  raised  his  hand  and  gave 
his  antagonist  a  most  fearful  blow,  which  broke  the  oth- 
er's arm.  Imirediately  the  badly-wounded  gorilla  fled, 
leaving  the  old  gorilla  master  of  the  field ;  but  then  the 
victor  was  also  covered  with  blood.  My  father  still  trem- 
bled, for  he  was  afraid  of  being  discovered.  After  a 
time,  when  all  was  silent,  he  looked  round,  and  saw  that 
the  victorious  gorilla  had  also  gone  off." 

By  this  time  Minsho  was  covered  with  perspiration ; 
he  fancied,  I  suppose,  that  he  had  seen  the  fight  himself. 
He  concluded  by  saying,  "  I  have  no  doubt  the  gorilla 
we  killed  this  morning  lost  one  of  his  big  tusks  in  a  great 
fight  with  another  gorilla,"  in  which  opinion  we  all  coin- 
cided. 

After  this  story  we  lay  down  on  our  beds  of  leaves. 


WE  APPRO  A  CH  THE  APINGI  CO  UNTR  7.  231 

and,  surrounded  by  blazing  fires,  all  went  to  sleep,  hoping 
to  rest  well,  for  we  had  a  hard  day's  work  before  us  on 
the  morrow. 

In  the  morning  the  songs  of  birds  awoke  us  from  our 
sleep.  After  roasting  a  ripe  plantain  and  eating  it,  I 
started  once  more,  following  a  path  by  which  we  travel- 
ed all  day.  Again  no  game  was  seen ;  we  did  not  even 
meet  the  footsteps  of  an  elephant ;  and  a  little  before  sun- 
set we  came  to  a  bando  or  olako,  built  by  the  Ashira  and 
Apingi  people  especially  for  the  convenience  of  travelers. 

The  bando  was  roofed  with  peculiar  and  very  large 
leaves,  here  called  the  shayshayray  and  the  quaygayray. 
Here  we  concluded  to  stop  for  the  night.  Not  even  the 
cry  of  an  owl  or  of  a  hyena  disturbed  the  stillness ;  no 
elephant's  footstep  came  to  awake  us  from  our  slumber ; 
the  howls  of  the  leopard  were  not  to  be  heard. 

Several  days  had  been  thus  spent  in  the  jungle,  but  we 
were  now  compelled  to  hurry  along,  for  we  had  no  food. 
In  the  mean  time  we  had  a  view  of  some  small  prairies, 
and  in  one  of  them  had  seen  villages,  which  the  Ashiras 
said  were  those  of  the  Bakalai ;  but  as  Minsho  and  the 
rest  of  the  Ashiras  did  not  want  to  go  near  them,  we  re- 
entered  the  forest.  "  The  Bakalai  here,"  said  Minsho, 
who  I  could  see  \vas  not  gifted  with  any  great  amount 
of  bravery, "  always  stop  and  fight  people."  So  we  man- 
aged to  pass  their  villages  unseen. 

Minsho  said  we  were  approaching  the  country  of  the 
Apingi.  He  was  not  mistaken.  In  the  afternoon,  while 
we  were  passing  through  dense  woods,  we  heard  people 
talking  not  far  from  us,  and  I  came  suddenly  on  a  man 
who  turned  ont  to  be  Remandji,  king  of  the  Apingi. 

At  the  sight  of  me  he  and  his  company  stood  silent 


232  L OST  W  THE  JUNOLS. 

and  amazed  for  a  few  minutes,  when  he  began  to  danca 
about  me  in  a  most  unroyal  and  crazy  manner,  shouting 
again  and  again,  "  The  spirit  has  come  to  see  me !  the 
spirit  has  come  to  see  my  country !"  He  kept  looking 
at  me  steadfastly,  and  for  a  while  I  thought  his  majesty 
had  gone  out  of  his  mind. 

King  Remandji  looked  like  a  very  fine  old  negro. 
The  question  that  arose  in  my  mind  was, "  How  did  the 
king  happen  to  be  in  the  woods  ?"  His  majesty  had  come 
to  fish  in  a  neighboring  creek,  for  kings  here  are  modest 
in  their  tastes,  and  was  on  his  way  to  meet  his  wives,  who 
had  been  sent  on  before  him.  He  knew  Olenda's  sons, 
and  directed  them  to  a  certain  spot,  and  said  he  would 
be  back  that  evening  and  bring  his  wives  with  him. 

We  parted  with  the  king,  rejoicing  in  the  prospect 
of  having  fish  and  plantain  for  dinner.  Meantime  we 
went  on,  and  when  the  evening  came  we  all  began  to  feel 
somewhat  anxious  about  our  quarters.  Game  was  said 
to  be  plentiful  in  the  forest,  so  I  pushed  a  little  out  of 
the  path,  and,  thinking  I  had  seen  something  like  a  ga- 
zelle, I  stepped  forward  toward  it,  when  down  into  an 
elephant-trap  I  went,  feeling  quite  astonished  at  finding 
myself  at  the  bottom  of  it.  It  was  a  wonder  my  gun  did 
not  go  off. 

This  trap  I  had  fallen  into  was  about  ten  feet  deep, 
eight  feet  long,  and  six  feet  wide.  As  soon  as  I  recov- 
ered sufficiently  to  comprehend  my  position,  I  began  to 
holla  and  shout  for  help.  No  one  answered  me.  I 
shouted  and  shouted,  but  no  reply  came.  I  was  in  a 
pretty  fix.  "Suppose,"  said  I  to  myself,  "that  a  huge 
snake,  as  it  crawls  about,  should  not  see  this  hole,  and 
tumble  down  on  top  of  me."  The  very  thought  madi 


/  AM  RESCUED  FROM  THE  PIT. 


233 


me  shout  louder  and  louder.  At  times  I  would  call, 
"  Ayagui  1  Ayagui !  Minsho !  Minsho !"  Finally  I  fired 
a  gun,  and  then  another,  and  soon  I  heard  the  voices  of 
my  men  shouting  u  Moguizi,  where  are  you  ?  Moguizi. 
where  are  you  ?"  "  Here  I  am !"  I  cried.  "  Wliere  T  I 
heard  Minsho  repeat.  "  Close  by — here,  Minsho,  in  a  big 
elephant-pit ;  look  out,  lest  you  fall  into  it  yourself." 
Minsho  by  this  time  knew  where  I  was,  and  called  all 
the  men.  They  immediately  cut  a  creeper  and  let  it 


THE   ELEPHANT-TEAP. 


down.  I  fired  off  my  gun,  and  sent  it  up  first,  and  then, 
holding  fast  to  the  creeper,  I  was  lifted  out  of  the  pit, 
and  very  glad  I  was  too,  I  assure  you.  The  wonder 
to  me  was  that  I  did  not  break  my  neck  in  getting 
into  it. 

Finally  we  reached  the  place  where  Reman dji  had  di- 
rected Minsho  to  go.  We  lighted  our  fires,  and  soon  aft- 
er Remandji  made  his  appearance.  He  looked  again 
and  again  at  me.  His  women  were  frightened,  and  did 


234  LOST  IN  THE  JUNGLE. 

not  show  themselves.  Happily,  his  majesty  brought  some 
plantains  and  fish  with  him. 

I  thought  I  had  before  known  what  musquitoes  were, 
but  I  never  saw  the  like  of  those  we  had  in  this  spot. 
They  certainly  must  have  been  a  new  kind,  for  their  sting 
was  like  that  of  a  bee,  and  very  painful.  Hundreds  of 
them  were  buzzing  around  each  one  of  us.  My  eyes, 
hands,  and  legs  were  swollen.  I  had  a  musquito-net  with 
me,  but  inside  of  it  they  would  get,  how  I  could  not  tell. 
Several  times  I  got  out  of  the  net,  and  when  I  thought  I 
had  shaken  it  well,  and  driven  every  one  of  them  off,  1 
would  get  under  it  again  in  the  twinkle  of  an  eye ;  but 
the  musquitoes,  which  seemed  perfectly  famished,  were 
like  vultures,  and  would  get  in  at  the  same  time  that  I 
did.  The  Ashiras  declared  that  they  had  never  before 
seen  such  a  place  for  musquitoes.  Smoke  and  fire  seem- 
ed to  have  no  effect  upon  them.  I  never  suffered  such 
torture  in  my  life.  They  beat  all  I  had  ever  seen  in  the 
shape  of  musquitoes.  The  next  morning  I  was  so  ter- 
ribly bitten  that  I  looked  as  if  I  had  the  measles  or  the 
chicken-pox. 

Remandji,  who  had  built  his  camp  next  to  ours,  came 
declaring  that  the  people  must  have  bewitched  the  place 
where  we  had  slept,  and  off  he  took  us  to  his  village. 
After  a  three  hours'  march,  we  came  at  last,  through  a 
Budden  opening  in  the  forest,  to  a  magnificent  stream, 
the  Rembo  Apingi  or  Ngouyai.  I  stood  in  amazement 
and  delight,  looking  at  the  beautiful  and  large  river  I 
had  just  discovered,  and  the  waters  of  which  were  glid- 
ing toward  the  big  sea,  when  a  tremendous  cheer  from 
the  Ashiras  announced  to  the  Apingi,  Kemandji's  sub- 
jects, who  had  made  their  appearance  on  the  opposite 


GRAND  RECEPTION  AT  REMANDJL  235 

bank,  that  a  spirit  had  come  to  visit  them.  The  lattei 
responded  to  the  cheering,  and  presently  a  great  number 
of  exceedingly  frail  flat  canoes  and  several  rafts  were 
pushed  across,  and  soon  reached  our  side  of  the  river ; 
they  had  come  to  ferry  us  over.  The  Apingi  people  live 
only  on  the  right  bank  of  this  noble  river. 

I  got  into  a  very  small  canoe,  which  was  managed  with 
great  skill  by  the  Apingi  boatman.  I  did  not  see  how  he 
could  keep  his  equilibrium  in  the  frail-looking  shell. 

The  shouting  on  the  Apingi  side  was  becoming  louder 
and  louder,  and  when  I  landed  the  excitement  was  in- 
tense. "Look  at  the  spirit!"  shouted  the  multitude. 
"  Look  at  his  feet !  look  at  his  hair !  look  at  his  nose !" 
etc.,  etc. 

They  followed  me  till  I  was  safely  housed  in  one  ot 
the  largest  huts  in  the  town,  which  was  about  twelve  feet 
long  and  seven  feet  broad,  with  a  piazza  in  front.  When 
all  my  luggage  was  stored  there  was  hardly  room  to 
move.  I  had  indeed  reached  a  strange  country. 

Presently  Remandji  came  to  me,  followed  by  all  the 
old  men  of  his  town  and  several  chiefs  of  the  neighbor- 
ing villages.  Twenty-four  fowls  were  laid  at  my  feet ; 
bunches  of  plantains,  with  baskets  of  cassava.  And  Re- 
mandji, turning  toward  the  old  men,  said,  "  I  have  beheld 
what  our  fathers  never  saw — what  you  and  I  never  saw 
before.  I  bid  thee  welcome,  O  spirit !  I  thank  your  fa- 
ther, King  Olenda,"  said  he,  turning  to  Minsho, "  for  send- 
ing this  spirit  to  me."  Then  he  added,  "  Be  glad,  O 
spirit,  and  eat  of  the  things  we  give  thee." 

Whereupon,  to  my  great  astonishment,  a  slave  waa 
handed  over  to  me, bound,  and  Remandji  said,  "  Kill  him; 
he  is  tender  and  fat,  and  you  must  be  hungry.'* 


23ft  LOST  IN  THE  JUNGL& 

I  was  not  prepared  for  such  a  present.  They  thought 
I  was  a  cannibal — an  eater  of  human  flesh — and  there 
stood  before  me  a  fat  negro,  who  during  the  night  had 
been  caught,  for  Remandji  had  sent  word  to  the  people 
of  my  coming,  and  in  his  forethought  determined  that  I 
must  have  a  good  meal  on  my  arrival. 

Then  I  shook  my  head,  spat  violently  on  the  ground, 
which  is  a  great  way  of  showing  disgust,  the  people  all 
the  time  looking  at  me  with  perfect  astonishment.  I 
made  Minsho  tell  them  that  I  abhorred  people  who  ate 
human  flesh,  and  that  I,  and  those  who  were  like  me  iu 
the  spirit-land,  never  did  eat  human  flesh. 

Just  fancy !  What  a  fine  present !  A  nice  fat  negro, 
ready  for  cooking.  It  was  like  the  presentation  of  a  fat 
calf. 

Remand ji  then  said,  "  What  becomes  of  all  the  people 
we  sell,  and  that  go  down  the  river  for  you  to  take  away  ? 
We  hear  you  fatten  them  before  they  are  killed.  There- 
fore I  gave  you  this  slave,  that  you  might  kill  him  and 
make  glad  your  heart." 

A  deep  blush  came  over  my  face,  I  felt  so  ashamed. 
It  was  true,  the  white  man  had  come  into  their  country 
for  hundreds  of  years  and  carried  away  their  people. 

After  my  refusal  of  the  fat  negro,  who  was  glad  to  get 
free,  Remandji's  wives  cooked  the  food  for  me  which  had 
before  been  presented.  The  king  tasted  of  every  thing 
that  was  laid  before  me,  and  drank  of  the  water  which 
was  brought  for  me  to  drink.  Such  is  the  custom,  for 
the  people  are  afraid  of  poison ;  and  the  wife  always 
tastes  of  the  food  she  presents  to  her  husband  before  he 
eats  it,  and  the  water  he  is  going  to  drink. 

The  uproar  in  the  village  was  something  terrific.    I 


JL  HARD  BED.  237 

thought  I  should  be  deafened,  and  that  their  wonder  at 
seeing  me  would  never  cease. 

For  a  bed  I  had  but  a  few  sticks,  but  I  was  glad  that 
night  to  lay  upon  them,  and  to  have  one  of  those  little 
huts  to  shelter  me  from  rain,  for  I  had  had  a  hard  time, 
I  can  assure  you,  since  I  had  left  Olenda's. 

Before  going  to  sleep  I  thanked  the  kind  God  who  had 
watched  over  me  and  led  me  safely  into  the  midst  of 
tribes  of  men  whom  no  white  man  had  ever  seen  before. 


CHAPTER  XXIX 

FIRST  DAY   IN   APINGI    LAND. 1   FIRE   A   GUN. THE    NA« 

TIVES    ARE    FRIGHTENED. 1    GIVE    THE    KING    A   WAIST- 
COAT.  HE    WEARS    IT. THE    SAPADI    PEOPLE. THK 

MUSIC-BOX. 1   MUST   MAKE   A   MOUNTAIN   OF   BEADS. 

IN  the  morning  when  I  awoke  I  looked  round  my 
room.  Of  course  I  did  not  have  to  look  far,  for  the 
house  was  small ;  besides,  it  was  filled  with  my  baggage. 
Several  fetiches  hung  on  the  walls,  and  in  a  corner  was 
the  skull  of  an  antelope  fastened  to  the  roof.  There 
were  no  windows,  the  floor  of  pounded  yellow  clay,  and 
just  by  the  few  sticks  which  formed  my  bed  were  the 
remains  of  an  extinguished  fire.  It  was  daylight,  for  I 
could  hear  the  birds  singing.  The  sun  had  risen,  for  I 
could  see  the  sunshine  through  the  crevices  of  the  walls, 
which  were  made  of  the  bark  of  trees,  and  through  these 
the  light  came  in.  I  listened  to  hear  voices  in  the  vil- 
lage ;  but  no,  all  was  silent.  I  got  up,  intending  to  go 
to  the  river  to  wash  my  face,  and  opened  the  door, 
which  had  been  made  with  the  bottom  of  an  old  canoe. 
Every  hut  in  the  village  had  its  door,  for  there  wore 
famished  leopards  in  the  forest  which  often  carried  away 
people. 

I  had  hardly  stepped  out  of  the  house  when  I  saw  be- 
fore me  a  very  large  crowd  of  people,  who  gave  a  loud 
yell  at  my  appearance.  I  instinctively  put  my  hand  on 
one  of  my  revolvers  and  held  my  gun  in  readiness ;  then 


A  BEAUTIFUL  VILLAGE.  239 

looked  at  these  people,  who  had  been  surrounding  my  hut 
since  daylight,  without  saying  a  word. 

Their  yells  were  pretty  loud.  I  knew  not  what  they 
meant  at  first.  I  looked  at  them,  when  most  of  the 
women  and  children,  and  some  of  the  men,  ran  away, 
although  I  cried  out  to  them  not  to  be  afraid. 

King  Remandji  soon  arrived  to  say  good-morning  to 
me,  and,  while  he  was  by  my  side,  I  raised  the  double- 
barreled  gun  I  had  with  me,  which  I  had  loaded  with  a 
very  heavy  charge  of  powder,  and  fired  it  off.  The  gun 
recoiled  on  my  shoulder,  and  hurt  me  slightly.  The  peo- 
ple fled  in  dismay,  and  the  noise  of  the  detonation  re- 
echoed through  the  forest. 

Remandji  regarded  me  with  fear  and  trembling.  I 
reassured  him  by  a  smile,  and  by  putting  on  his  head  a 
most  flaming  red  cap  which  I  had  got  ready  for  him. 
How  he  admired  the  bright  red !  He  shouted  to  his 
people  to  come  back,  which  they  all  did. 

After  washing  my  face  in  the  river  I  returned  to  the 
village.  It  was  a  beautiful  village.  The  houses  were 
small,  most  of  them  being  eight  or  ten  feet  long  and  six 
or  eight  feet  wide.  The  walls  were  built  with  the  bark 
of  trees,  and  were  about  five  feet  high.  The  roofs  were 
thatched  either  with  large  leaves  or  with  the  leaves  of 
the  palm,  and  at  the  top  were  about  seven  feet  high.  At 
the  rear  of  the  houses  were  large  groves  of  plantain-trees. 

Walking  through  the  street,  I  came  to  the  big  idol,  or 
mbuiti  of  the  place,  which  stood  under  a  ouandja  (a  cov- 
ered roof),  and  there  kept  guard.  That  morning  a  few 
plantains,  ground-nuts,  sugar-cane,  and  a  piece  of  a  deer 
were  before  it.  There  was  also  a  vessel  with  palm  wine. 

After  walking  to  the  end  of  the  village  I  came  back 


240  LOST  IN  THE  JUNGLE. 

to  Kemandji,  the  people  hollaing  and  shouting  all  the 
time,  "The  good  spirit  has  come !  the  spirit  has  come !" 

I  breakfasted  outside  of  my  hut,  a  few  roasted  plan- 
tains and  a  boiled  fowl  being  my  fare.  How  wild  the 
shouts  of  these  people  were  when  they  saw  me  eating ! 
They  were  perfectly  frantic.  The  fork  was  an  object  of 
the  greatest  wonder.  They  exclaimed,  "  The  spirit  does 
not  eat  with  his  hand ;  the  spirit  has  a  queer  mouth ;  the 
spirit  has  teeth  that  are  not  filed  sharp  to  a  point ;  the 
spirit  has  a  nose ;  how  strange  is  the  hair  of  the  spirit !" 

The  crowd  was  pouring  in  from  all  the  surrounding 
villages,  and  the  excitement  was  intense.  They  were 
afraid,  but,  in  despite  of  their  fear,  they  came  to  see  the 
great  spirit  who  had  arrived  in  th  jir,  country. 

After  breakfast  I  called  Reman dji,  and  led  him  into 
my  hut,  and  also  the  two  head  men,  or  graybeards  of  his 
village.  Then  I  put  on  his  majesty  a  flaming  red  waist- 
coat. I  could  not  spare  a  coat,  and  I  had  no  pantaloons 
to  give  him ;  luckily,  they  never  want  to  wear  the  latter 
in  this  part  of  the  world.  He  looked  splendid  with  his 
waistcoat  on.  I  also  put  round  his  neck  a  necklace  of 
large  blue  and  white  beads,  of  the  size  of  sparrow's  eggs. 
I  gave  him,  into  the  bargain,  a  looking-glass,  and  he  was 
very  much  frightened  when  he  saw  his  face  in  it,  and  he 
looked  at  me  as  if  to  say  "  What  next  ?" 

To  the  two  elders,  or  graybeards,  I  gave  each  a  neck- 
lace of  large  beads,  and  put  on  the  head  of  each  a  red 
cap.  Then  we  came  out.  As  soon  as  the  people  saw 
them  appear  in  such  great  style,  they  became  very  wild. 
I  fired  two  guns,  and  Remandji  and  the  two  graybeards 
told  the  people  not  to  be  afraid.  Immediately,  guided 
by  the  same  instinct,  they  all  advanced  toward  us  in  a 


A  GRAND  BALL.  241 

half-sitting  posture,  clapping  their  hands,  and  at  the  same 
time  shouting  "Ah!  ah!  ah!"  When  they  thought  they 
were  near  enough,  they  stopped,  looked  at  me  with  a 
queer  expression,  and  then  shouted,  "  You  are  a  great 
spirit !  you  are  a  great  spirit !"  and  then  they  suddenly 
got  up,  and  ran  away  to  the  other  end  of  the  village. 

"  Really  the  Apingi  country  is  a  strange  land,"  said  I 
to  myself. 

In  the  afternoon  several  thousand  strangers  filled  the 
village.  They  had  come  to  look  at  me,  but  before  sun- 
set almost  all  of  them  had  returned  to  their  homes. 
They  had  come  by  water  and  by  land,  from  the  moun- 
tains and  from  the  valleys.  The  story  of  the  arrival  of 
the  spirit  in  Remandji  Village  had  spread  far  and  wide, 
and  every  one  came  to  see  if  it  was  true,  desiring  to  see 
for  themselves.  But  how  afraid  they  were  when  I  looked 
at  them !  How  fast  they  ran  away,  and  how  quickly  they 
would  come  back,  but  always  keeping  at  a  respectful  dis- 
tance ! 

In  the  evening  there  was  a  grand  ball.  The  noise  was 
horrible,  the  dancing  was  grand,  the  gesticulations  and 
contortions  were  funny,  the  tam-tams  sounded  strangely, 
the  singing  was  powerful,  and  I,  of  course,  enjoyed  the 
affair  amazingly.  I  staid  out  all  night  to  please  them, 
and  they  were  glad  to  see  me  look  at  them  and  laugh. 

After  a  few  days  I  became  the  great  friend  of  a  good 
many.  I  gave  them  beads,  especially  the  women.  I 
handled  their  littie  babies,  and  never  got  angry,  though 
sometimes  their  curiosity  annoyed  me  very  much  indeed. 

Remandji  and  I  became  great  friends.  He  was  a  real 
nice  king,  and  we  spent  hours  together.  I  was  obliged 
to  use  Minsho  as  an  interpreter,  for  I  do  not  understand 
16 


242  L  °ST  W  THE  JUNGLE. 

the  Apingi  tongue  very  well.  It  seems  to  me  like  the 
language  of  the  Mbinga,  a  tribe  which  I  have  spoken  of 
in  "  Stories  of  the  Gorilla  Country." 

One  day  a  great  crowd  came  and  asked  me  to  take  my 
shoes  off.  When  I  asked  them  why,  they  said  they  want- 
ed to  know  if  I  had  toes  like  they  had.  "  You  have  ears 
like  we  have,"  said  they,  "  and  we  want  to  see  if  you 
have  cloven  feet  like  an  antelope.  We  want  to  see  if 
your  feet  are  like  those  of  a  people  who  live  far  away 
from  here,  of  whom  we  have  heard,  and  who  are  called 
Sa/padi.  Yes,"  they  exclaimed,  with  one  voice,  "  far 
away  in  the  mountains  there  are  Sapadi ;  they  do  not 
have  feet  like  other  people;  they  have  feet  like  ante- 
lopes ;  they  have  cloven  feet." 

I  told  them  that  there  were  no  such  people.  Remand- 
ji  immediately  called  one  of  his  slaves,  a  man  to  whose 
country  none  of  the  Apingi  had  ever  been  (the  Shimba 
country),  and  he  declared  positively,  with  a  look  of  great 
truthfulness,  that  he  had  seen  Sapadi.  Another  man 
also  came  forward  and  declared  the  same  thing — they 
were  people  like  the  Apingi,  only  their  feet  were  like 
those  of  antelopes. 

To  please  them,  I  took  off  my  boots.  This  was  done 
in  the  midst  of  most  vociferous  cheers.  They  took  my 
socks  to  be  my  skin.  After  my  socks  were  taken  off, 
and  my  naked  feet  burst  upon  their  sight,  the  excitement 
became  intense.  The  idol  was  brought  out,  the  drums 
began  to  beat,  and  they  sang  songs  to  me,  shouting  and 
hollaing  in  the  most  approved  African  manner.  Re- 
man dji  took  one  of  my  feet  in  his  lap  and  touched  it, 
declaring  that  it  was  softer  than  the  skin  of  a  leopard. 
When  his  people  saw  this__they  became  frantic.  "  The 


WHAT  MUSIC  MA  T  DO.  243 

great  spirit  has  come !  the  great  spirit  has  come !"  they 
shouted ;  "  the  king  holds  one  of  his  feet !"  Remandji 
rose,  and,  in  a  half-squatting  position,  danced  and  sang 
before  me,  the  drums  in  the  mean  time  beating  furious- 
ly. The  noise  was  deafening.  They  took  me  for  a  god. 
When  they  had  calmed  down  a  little  I  went  into  my 
hut,  wound  up  my  large  music-box,  and,  coming  out,  set 
it  on  an  Apingi  stool  in  the  midst  of  the  crowd,  who  im- 
mediately retreated  farther  off.  I  then  let  the  spring 
go,  and  at  once  the  music  began  to  play.  A  dead  silence 
followed  the  tumult ;  the  drums  dropped  down  from  be- 


tween the  drummers'  legs ;  a  leaf  falling  on  the  ground 
could  have  been  heard ;  they  were  perfectly  mute.  Be- 
mandji  and  the  people  looked  at  me  in  affright.  I  went 
aw.ay  but  of  course  the  music  continued  to  go  on.  They 


244  LOST  IN  THE  JUNGLE. 

looked  from  me  to  the  box,  and  back  again,  and  finalli 
exclaimed, "  Lo !  the  devil  speaks  to  him."  I  disappeared 
into  the  woods,  and  the  music  continued — the  devil  con« 
tinued  to  speak. 

The  town  is  filled  once  more  with  strangers  from  the 
countries  round,  who  have  come  to  see  the  spirit  that  is 
stopping  with  Remandji.  The  forests  are  full  of  olakos 
in  which  these  people  sleep.  The  women  appear  hide- 
ously ugly ;  every  one  of  them  seems  to  have  three  or 
four  children,  and  they  are  tattooed  all  over.  On  the 
bodies  of  many  of  them  one  could  not  find  a  spot  as  big 
as  a  pea  that  was  free  from  this  tattooing.  They  think 
that  cutting  their  bodies  in  this  way  is  beautifying.  It 
is  simply  hideous.  They  file  their  teeth  sharp  to  a  point, 
which  gives  their  faces  a  frightfully  savage  appearance ; 
but,  with  all  their  ugliness,  the  Apingi  were  kind-heart- 
ed, always  treated  me  well,  and  loved  me.  I  always  tried 
to  do  what  was  right  by  them. 

One  day  they  saw  me  writing  my  journal,  and  they 
said  I  was  making  print  and  cloth  to  give  them.  During 
the  nights  they  all  believed  I  did  not  sleep,  but  that  I  was 
at  work  making  beads  and  all  the  things  I  gave  them, 
whereupon  ensued  a  great  council  of  above  thirty  Apin- 
gi chiefs,  who,  after  due  deliberation  with  Remandji, 
who  was  at  their  head,  came  to  me,  surrounded  by  thou- 
sands of  their  people,  and  then  their  king  delivered  the 
following  speech :  "  Spirit,  you  are  our  king ;  you  have 
come  to  our  country  to  do  us  good."  The  people,  with 
one  accord,  repeated  what  Remandji  had  said — "  You 
can  do  every  thing."  I  wondered  what  was  coming 
next.  Then,  in  a  loud  voice,  he  added,  "  Proceed  now 
to  make  for  us  a  pile  of  beads,  for  we  love  the  beads  yon 


/  MUST  MANUFACTURE  GOODS.  245 

make  and  give  us.  Make  a  pile  of  them  as  high  as  the 
tallest  tree  in  the  village,"  and  he  pointed  to  a  giant  tree 
which  could  not  have  been  less  than  two  hundred  feet  in 
height,  "  so  that  our  women  and  children  may  go  and 
take  as  many  beads  as  they  wish.  You  must  give  us 
cloth,  brass  kettles,  copper  rods,  guns,  and  powder." 

The  people  liked  the  speech  of  Remandji,  and  shout, 
ed  "  Yo !  yo !"  a  sign  of  approval. 

He  continued :  "  The  people  will  come  to  see  you  after 
you  have  gone ;  and  when  we  shall  say  to  them, '  The 
spirit  who  came  has  gone,'  they  will  say, '  It  is  a  lie !  it 
is  a  lie !  no  spirit  ever  came  to  visit  Kemandji.'  But 
when  the  whole  country  shall  be  filled  with  the  things 
which  we  ask  you  to  make,  then,  though  they  do  not  see 
you,  they  will  say, '  Truly  a  spirit  has  visited  the  land  of 
the  Apingi,  and  lived  in  Kemandji's  village.'  " 

The  faces  of  the  crowd  were  beaming  with  satisfac- 
tion, for  they  approved  of  Remand ji's  speech.  Then 
there  was  a  dead  silence  again.  I  did  not  know  what  to 
say.  I  did  not  want  to  tell  them  I  was  a  spirit,  nor  did 
I  wish  to  tell  them  I  was  not  one,  for  prestige  is  a  great 
thing  in  a  savage  country. 

They  felt  grieved  when  I  told  them  I  brought  them 
things,  and  did  not  make  them.  They  did  not  believe 
me,  and  said, "  Thy  spirit  does  not  wish  to  do  what  we 
ask  of  it.  Why,  spirit,  will  you  not  do  what  we  ask 
you !"  and  then  the  whole  crowd  began  to  dance  and 
sing  before  me,  saying, "  Moguizi,  do  not  be  angry  with 
us.  Moguizi,  we  love  you.  Moguizi,  you  are  good.  Mo- 
guizi, stay  with  us." 

On  my  continued  refusal  they  scattered,  and  I  went 
among  them. 


CHAPTER 


(L  LARGE  FLEET  OF  CANOES.  -  WE  ASCEND  THE  RIVER.— 
THE  KING  PADDLES  MY  CANOE.  —  AGOBl's  VILLAGE.  -  WH 
UPSET.  -  THE  KING  IS  FURIOUS.  -  OKABI,  THE  CHARMER. 
-  1  READ  THE  BD3LE.  —  THE  PEOPLE  ARE  AFRAID. 

REMANDJI  and  I  had  been  talking  of  traveling  togeth- 
er, and  I  had  told  him  that  I  wished  to  ascend  the  river. 
He  promised  to  have  a  fleet  of  canoes  prepared,  and  that 
his  people  would  turn  out  en  masse. 

He  was  as  good  as  his  word.  The  appointed  day  came. 
Quite  a  little  fleet  had  been  brought  together.  But  what 
canoes  !  my  goodness  !  what  a  difference  between  them 
and  the  canoes  of  the  Commi  country  !  They  were  very 
small  —  mere  nut-shells.  Remandji  proudly  pointed  to 
the  fleet  he  had  collected  to  take  me  Tip.  While  he  was 
talking  to  me  I  was  thinking  seriously  of  the  great  proba- 
bility of  capsizing,  and  the  prospect  was  not  exactly  cheer- 
ing, for  the  current  of  the  river  was  strong.  Though 
sometimes  I  have  no  objection  to  a  ducking,  I  had  strong 
objections  to  getting  it  in  that  manner,  with  all  my 
clothes  on. 

Then  the  order  for  departure  was  given  by  the  king. 
There  was  no  help  for  it.  I  had  asked  canoes  to  go  up. 
Hem  and  ji  had  done  the  thing  in  great  style.  I  could 
Hot  back  out. 

I  was  led  in  front  of  the  royal  canoe.     Half  a  doze* 


APINOI  CANOES.  241 

of  these  could  have  been  easily  put  inside  of  one  of 
Quengueza'8  canoes.  The  royal  canoe  was  not  much  bet- 
ter than  any  other  canoe,  though  the  largest  one  had  been 
chosen  for  me. 

I  made  my  preparations  against  accident — that  is  to 
say,  ready  in  case  we  capsized.  I  tied  my  compass  to  a 
cord  about  my  neck ;  then  I  tied  my  gun  fast  by  a  long 
rope  to  the  canoe,  which  would  float  at  any  rate ;  and  I 
had  a  small  box  of  clothes,  a  shirt,  and  two  pairs  of  shoes, 
which  I  tied  also.  I  tied  a  handkerchief  round  my  head, 
and  put  iny  watch  inside  on  the  top,  so  that  it  would  not 
get  wet. 

There  was  not  a  host  of  people  to  go  in  the  royal  ca- 
noe—  Remand ji,  a  paddler,  and  myself  —  that  was  all. 
No  more  could  get  in  with  safety.  There  was  not  so 
much  royalty  and  state  as  you  see  in  the  department  of 
the  navy.  The  admiral  of  the  fleet  I  could  not  find. 

Rafts  are  used  extensively,  but  only  for  crossing  the 
river  or  in  going  down  the  stream. 

Each  canoe  has  two  or  three  men  in  it.  How  small 
they  all  were !  quite  flat  on  the  bottom,  and  floating 
only  a  few  inches  above  the  water.  They  are  very  well 
designed  for  the  swift  current  of  the  river,  which  runs, 
at  this  time  of  the  year  (December),  at  the  rate  of  four 
miles  an  hour  after  a  heavy  rain. 

Reman dji  was  dressed  in  the  flaming  red  waistcoat  I 
had  given  him.  The  king  paddled  the  canoe.  As  for 
me,  I  was  perfectly  satisfied  to  seat  myself  in  the  bottom, 
expecting  all  the  time  to  upset,  for  steadiness  was  not 
part  of  our  programme.  I  was  quite  uncomfortable,  and 
as  the  canoe  leaked,  the  part  of  my  pantaloons  upon 
which  I  was  seated  was  a  little  more  than  daniD;  but  no 


248  LOST  IN  THE  JUNGLE. 

matter,  it  was  cooling.  But  I  could  not  help  wishing  the 
Apingi  canoes  at  the  bottom  of  the  river ;  this  hard  wish 
of  mine,  of  course,  to  be  fulfilled  when  I  should  not  be  in 
one  of  them. 

Eemandji  shouted  with  all  his  might  to  the  fleet  of 
small  canoes  to  keep  out  of  our  way,  for  surely  if  a  ca- 
noe had  knocked  against  ours  we  should  have  been  m 
the  water  before  we  had  time  to  give  the  fellows  our 


We  went  gayly  up  the  river,  the  royal  canoe  being 
ahead  of  all  the  others,  Eemandji  and  his  man  paddling 
as  hard  as  they  could.  The  people  of  the  villages  we 
passed  begged  Remandji  to  stop ;  but  our  fleet  was  bound 
for  a  village  whose  chief  was  called  Agobi,  the  father- 
in-law  of  Remandji,  and  who  had  made  friends  with  me. 
We  at  last  reached  his  village. 

Loud  cheers  from  the  villagers  welcomed  us.  Several 
canoes  were  upset  at  the  landing  by  being  knocked 
against  each  other;  but  the  Apingi  swim  like  fish,  and 
the  suit  of  clothes  they  wore  (their  own  skin)  dried  so 
quickly  that  a  wetting  was  of  very  little  moment  to  them. 

There  was  a  grand  Apingi  dance  that  night,  and  no 
sleep  for  me. 

After  two  days  spent  at  Agobi's  village  we  began  to 
ascend  the  river  again,  but  the  current  was  so  swift  that 
we  hardly  seemed  to  make  any  headway.  There  was  a 
good  deal  of  shouting,  hollaing,  and  cursing  in  the  Apingi 
language  before  we  fairly  left  the  shore.  The  banks  of 
this  noble  stream,  down  to  the  water's  edge,  were  a  mass 
of  verdure.  I  began  to  congratulate  myself  that  there 
would  be  no  capsizing,  and  that  I  was  not  going  to  take 
a  bath  in  the  river.  Our  canoe  was,  as  I  have  said, 


A  'CAPSIZE.  249 

ahead  of  all  the  others,  when  suddenly  a  canoe,  which 
was  crossing  the  river  from  the  left  bank,  came  close  to 
us.  We  thought,  however,  that  it  would  pass  above  our 
bow,  but  it  was  borne  down  by  the  current,  and,  before 
we  could  get  out  of  the  way,  swept  down  upon  us  in  spite 
of  the  shouts  of  Kemandji  and  his  man.  The  canoe 
had  only  an  old  woman  in  it.  Bang !  bang !  and  before 
I  had  time  to  say  "  Look  out,"  both  canoes  were  capsized, 
and  there  we  were  in  the  river. 

Remandji  was  perfectly  frantic,  cursing  the  old  woman 
while  he  was  swimming.  She  did  not  in  the  least  mind 
what  he  said,  but  swam  off  down  stream  like  a  buoy, 
shouting  continually, "  Where  is  my  bunch  of  plantains? 
Give  me  back  my  plantains !"  for  I  must  say  that,  if  we 
were  angry  at  her,  and  blamed  her  for  the  accident,  she 
was  equally  angry  at  us  for  the  same  reason,  each  think- 
ing it  was  the  other's  fault. 

The  whole  fleet  was  in  great  excitement,  and  Remand- 
ji was  in  a  fearful  rage  at  the  idea  of  any  one  upsetting 
his  moguizi.  I  was  still  in  the  water,  holding  on  to  the 
canoe  as  hard  as  I  could,  looking  after  the  old  woman, 
who  soon  reached  the  shore,  and,  climbing  out  at  a  bend 
of  the  river,  waited  for  her  capsized  canoe  to  float  along, 
which  having  secured,  she  got  in  and  paddled  off,  full  of 
complaints  at  losing  her  plantains,  and,  of  course,  blam- 
ing us  for  it.  Remandji  kept  telling  her  all  the  time  (1 
give  you  the  literal  translation,  for  the  negroes  do  not 
mince  words)  to  shut  her  mouth ;  but  the  more  he  told 
her  to  keep  still,  the  more  she  talked. 

As  for  me,  I  at  last  succeeded  in  reaching  the  shore, 
Remandji  securing  the  canoe.  Kothing  was  lost,  and  my 
gun  was  safe ;  it  was  not  loaded,  for  which  I  was  thankful 


250  LOST  IN  THE  JUNGLE. 

It  was  a  good  thing  that  we  had  kept  close  to  the 
banks  of  the  river,  for  if  we  had  capsized  in  the  middle 
of  the  stream  we  should  have  gone  a  mile  or  two  down 
the  river  before  reaching  the  shore.  I  was  not  sorry 
when  we  got  back  to  Remandji's  village,  and  his  people 
were  very  glad  to  see  us  return,, 

I  do  not  know  what  these  Apingis  will  think  about  me 
next.  Hem  and  ji  was  a  very  intelligent  fellow.  As  I 
am  writing  about  him,  I  fancy  I  see  his  face  and  that  I 
am  talking  to  him.  Remand ji  was  not  a  very  tall  ne- 
gro. He  was  white-headed,  with  a  mild  expression  of 
countenance,  very  kind  to  his  people,  and  respected  by 
all  his  tribe.  If  there  was  any  quarrel  among  them, 
they  would  come  to  him  to  settle  it. 

As  you  have  seen,  there  was  some  fine  hunting  in  his 
country.  Leopards  were  somewhat  plentiful  in  the  for- 
est, and  one  day  I  said  to  the  king,  "  Reman dji,  I  must 
go  and  hunt  leopards,  for  I  want  their  skins."  He  im- 
mediately asked,  pointing  to  my  coat,  if  I  \vanted  a  coat 
made  of  leopard's  skin.  I  said  no.  Then  he  left  me. 
and  a  little  while  after  came  back  with  a  man,  and  said, 
"  It  is  of  no  use  for  you  to  go  into  the  jungle,  for  we 
want  to  see  you  all  the  time.  Here  is  a  man  who  has  a 
big  fetich,  which  enables  him  to  kill  all  the  leopards  he 
wants  without  the  fear  of  being  killed  by  them."  I 
burst  out  laughing.  The  man  said,  "  Laugh,  O  spirit ; 
but  you  will  see." 

The  next  morning,  before  starting,  he  came  to  show 
himself.  When  he  made  his  appearance  he  began  a 
most  curious  dance,  talking  sometimes  very  loud,  at  oth- 
er times  in  a  whisper,  and  making  as  many  contortions 
as  it  is  possible  for  a  man  to  do.  I  could  hardly  recog« 


THE  LEOPARD-  CHARMER.  2  5  \ 

nize  him.  He  did  not  look  at  all  like  the  man  of  the 
day  before.  He  was  painted  with  ochre — half  the  body 
yellow,  the  other  half  red ;  one  side  of  his  face  was  red, 
the  other  white.  On  his  head  he  had  a  covering  made 
entirely  of  long  feathers  from  the  tails  of  strange  birds. 
Round  his  neck  and  shoulders  hung  an  iron  chain,  each 
link  being  about  one  inch  long,  and  oval.  To  this  chain 
was  suspended  the  skin  of  an  animal  which  I  had  never 
seen,  called  ndesha,  a  species  of  large  wild-cat  found  in 
the  forest.  It  was  spotted  somewhat  like  the  skin  of  a 
leopard,  but  the  ground  part  was  reddish.  The  only 
portion  that  could  be  seen  was  that  part  near  the  tail, 
which  hung  down.  In  this  skin  was  tied  a  wonderful 
fetich,  which  no  other  man  possessed,  and  by  which  he 
was  able,  as  I  have  said,  to  slay  the  leopards.  The 
name  of  the  man  was  Okabi.  So  I  said,  "  Okabi,  show 
me  this  monda."  He  replied  that  no  one  could  see 
that  monda,  for  if  they  did  they  would  try  to  make  one 
like  it. 

Round  his  waist  he  wore  a  belt  made  of  a  leopard's 
skin,  which  had  been  cut  from  the  head,  along  the  spine, 
to  the  tail.  They  believe  that  no  spear  can  go  through 
such  belts.  They  are  very  much  prized,  each  warrior 
placing  great  value  upon  his  personal  safety. 

This  leopard-charmer  started  quite  alone,  and  I  thought 
no  more  about  him  during  the  day. 

In  the  evening  I  was  seated  on  one  of  those  little 
round  Apingi  stools,  and  Reman dji  and  I  were  talking 
about  the  back  country.  I  felt  very  much  interested 
in  the  account  he  gave  me  of  it,  as  he  spoke  of  a  tribe 
of  people  I  had  never  seen,  when  lo !  what  did  I  see  ? 
Okabi,  carrying  on  his  back  a  dead  leopard !  I  rubbed 


252 


LOST  IN  THE  JUNGLE. 


my  eyes,  thinking  it  was  a  mistake.     No ;  it  was  OkabS 
himself,  and  a  dead  leopard. 

How  Okabi  got  the  leopard  I  could  not  imagine,  but 
surely  he  had  it,  and  there  was  no  mistake  about  it.  He 
placed  the  leopard  at  my  feet,  saying, "  Did  I  not  tell 
you  I  had  a  fetich  to  kill  leopards?"  Remandji  also 


OKABI   AND   THE   LEOPARD. 


said, "  Did  I  not  tell  you  I  had  a  man  who  had  a  big  fe- 
tich to  kill  leopards  ?" 

"  I  believe,"  said  I  to  Remandji,  "  that  when  he  prom- 
ised to  kill  a  leopard  for  me  he  had  a  trap  set,  and  he 
knew  that  a  leopard  was  in  it.  For,"  said  I,  "  no  man 
can  make  leopards  come  to  him."  "  Oh  yes,"  said  Re- 
mandji, "there  are  men  who  have  fetiches  which  hav« 
power  to  make  game  come  to  them." 


OKABPS  FETICH.  253 

I  coaxed  Okabi  to  show  me  his  leopard  fetich.  He 
promised  to  do  so  the  next  day.  He  came,  but  I  have 
very  little  doubt  that  he  took  something  off  from  it  he 
did  not  want  me  to  see. 

He  entered  my  hut  and  then  untied  the  skin,  and  aft- 
er he  spread  it  out  I  saw  the  contents  which  made  the 
fetich.  There  were  ashes  of  different  plants,  little  pieces 
of  wood,  the  small  head  of  a  young  squirrel,  claws  of  the 
wonderful  guanionien,  feathers  of  birds,  bones  of  ani- 
mals I  could  not  recognize,  bones  of  birds,  dried  intes- 
tines of  animals,  some  dried  brain  of  young  chimpanzee, 
a  very  rare  land-shell,  scales  of  fishes,  a  little  bit  of  scrap- 
ings from  the  skull  of  one  of  his  ancestors.  These  were 
the  things  that  made  the  leopards  come  to  him. 

"  And  if  one  of  all  these  things  you  see,"  said  he  to 
me,  "  were  missing,  the  fetich  or  monda  would  be  good 
for  nothing." 

Time  passed  pleasantly  in  that  fine  country,  and  one 
day,  as  I  was  quietly  reading  my  Bible  outside  of  my 
hut,  a  crowd  assembled  and  watched  me  with  wondering 
eyes.  I  told  them  that  when  I  read  this  book  it  taught 
me  that  God  was  the  Great  Spirit  who  had  made  the 
stars,  the  moon,  the  rivers,  the  mountains,  and  all  the  wild 
beasts,  and  every  thing  that  was  in  the  world. 

Then  I  read  some  verses  aloud  to  them.  I  told  them 
that  God  said  people  must  not  worship  that  which  they 
had  made  with  their  own  hands,  but  any  thing  they 
wanted  they  must  ask  of  him.  They  must  love  him.  He 
said  people  must  not  tell  lies — must  not  kill. 

Presently  I  let  the  leaves  of  the  book  slip  through  my 
hands  to  show  them  how  many  there  were.  As  the  leaves 
slipped  quickly  from  between  my  hand  they  made  a  alight 


254  L OST  W  THE  JUNGLE. 

noise,  when,  to  my  great  surprise,  as  soon  as  they  heard 
it  they  fled.  In  an  instant  the  whole  crowd,  Remandji 
and  all,  had  disappeared,  with  symptoms  of  the  great- 
est terror.  It  was  who  should  run  the  fastest.  I  called 
them  back,  but  it  was  in  vain.  The  louder  I  shouted,  tha 
faster  they  ran.  The  whole  village  was  soon  entirely  de- 
serted. 

I  shouted, "  Remandji,  come  back — people,  come  back. 
I  will  do  you  no  harm." 

By-and-by  I  saw  Remandji's  face  peeping  from  behind 
a  plantain-tree.  I  called  him,  saying  "  that  he  and  his 
people  ought  to  be  ashamed  of  themselves  for  leaving 
me  alone  in  the  village."  At  last  they  came  back,  when 
Remandji  said, "  O  spirit !  we  ran  away,  for  the  noise 
made  by  what  you  held  in  your  hand  (meaning  the  Bi- 
ble) was  like  that  made  by  Ococoo,  and  we  knew  not 
what  was  coming  next.  "We  did  not  know  that  you  and 
Ococoo  could  talk  together."  Ococoo  is  one  of  the  chief 
spirits  of  the  Apingi. 

I  told  them  it  was  all  nonsense,  and  took  the  book 
again,  but  they  begged  me  to  let  it  alone. 

In  my  frequent  hunting -trips  through  the  jungle,  I 
found  a  great  many  palm-trees  of  the  kind  that  yields 
the  oil  known  as  palm  oil.  I  had  never  before  seen  such 
numbers  of  palms,  all  hanging  full  of  ripe  nuts.  The 
Apingi  eat  these  nuts.  Their  women  come  loaded  every 
day  with  baskets  full.  They  eat  them  roasted  or  boiled. 

The  oil  is  used  for  the  ladies'  toilets,  either  as  cold 
cream  for  the  skin  or  pomade  for  the  hair.  This  cold 
cream  is  rather  peculiar.  The  oil  is  mixed  with  clay, 
and  they  rub  their  bodies  with  this  clean  and  delightful 
mixture.  As  a  pomade,  they  sometimes  Dut  more  than 


APINGI  WOMEN.  255 

half  a  pound  of  it  on  their  hair.  Every  few  days  they 
oil  their  heads,  often  mixing  clay  with  the  oil,  and,  as 
they  never  wash,  and  soap  is  unknown,  the  fragrance 
coming  therefrom  is  not  of  the  most  odoriferous  kind, 
and  made  me  often  wish  that  I  had  a  cold,  or  could  not 
smell. 

These  ladies  wear  charming  little  ear  ornaments  in  the 
shape  of  rings  three  or  four  inches  in  diameter,  the  wire 
being  often  of  the  size  of  a  lady's  little  finger.  Of  course 
the  hole  in  the  lobe  of  the  ear  is  quite  large.  Their  faces 
are  tattooed  all  over,  and,  to  crown  the  whole  of  the  de- 
scription, they  have,  as  has  before  been  observed,  a  beau- 
tiful mouth,  ornamented  in  front  by  two  rows  of  teeth 
filed  to  a  sharp  point. 

They  have  a  peculiar  form  of  tattooed  lines  which  is 
thought  by  them  to  be  most  beautiful.  A  broad  stripe 
is  drawn  from  the  back  of  the  neck  along  the  shoulders, 
and  across  the  breasts,  meeting  in  an  acute  angle  in  the 
hollow  of  the  chest.  The  flesh  is  raised  at  least  two  lines 
from  the  level  of  the  skin.  Other  stripes  are  drawn  in 
curves  along  the  back,  and  from  the  breast  down  on  the 
abdomen.  The  legs  and  arms  are  tattooed  all  over,  and 
their  faces  are  literally  cut  to  pieces. 

I  never  saw  so  much  tattooing  in  any  of  the  tribes  I 
visited  as  among  the  Apingi.  They  seemed  to  like  it ; 
and  when  I  reproached  them  for  spoiling  their  bodies 
in  such  a  manner,  they  replied,  "  Why,  we  think  it  is 
beautiful."  And,  pointing  to  my  clothes, "  Why  do  you 
wear  garments  ?"  said  they.  "  These  tattooings  are  like 
your  garments ;  we  think  they  are  very  fine." 

Trouble  loomed  in  the  distance  for  me.  The  people 
insisted  that  I  must  get  married.  Eemandji  said  that  he 


256  LOST  IN  THE  JUNGLE. 

must  give  me  a  housekeeper  to  keep  my  house  and  cook 
food  for  me.  It  was  so;  I  must  have  a  cook.  The 
weather  was  hot  and  unpleasant,  and  it  would  be  rathe* 
nice  to  have  some  one  to  attend  to  the  kitchen.  I  smiled ; 
it  was  a  good  idea.  "  Yes,"  I  said,  "  I  want  a  house- 
keeper." 

Eemandji  brought  me  a  lot  of  women.  I  chose  the 
ugliest,  whose  pretty  good  likeness  you  have  below,  and 
installed  her  as  my  housekeeper,  cook,  and  maid-of-all- 
work.  For  two  or  three  days  all  went  well,  when,  one 
fine  morning,  a  deputation  of  men  and  women  from  a 


MY   HOUSEKEEPER. 

neighboring  village  came  to  me,  smiling  and  looking 
happy.  They  brought  goats,  fowls,  and  plantains ;  hailed 
me  as  their  relative,  and  said  that  they  came  to  ask  for 
presents. 

I  confess  that  I  lost  my  temper.  I  took  a  stick  from 
my  hut,  the  sight  of  which  drove  my  would-be  relatives 
and  my  housekeeper  out  of  the  village.  They  fled  in  the 
ntmost  consternation. 


EEMANDJ1  EAU  A  GOOD  LAUGH 


257 


"  Really,"  said  I  to  myself, "  these  Apingi  are  a  strange 
people." 

Remandji  laughed  heartily  at  the  adventurers,  saying 
to  them,  "  I  told  you  not  to  go  to  the  spirit,  as  he  would 
get  angry  at  you." 


CHAPTER  XXXL 

A  GREAT  CROWD  OF  STRANGERS. — I  AM  MADE  A  KING.-r- 
I  REMAIN  IN  MY  KINGDOM.  —  GOOD-BY  TO  THE  YOUNG 
FOLKS. 

THE  village  was  crowded  with  strangers  once  more. 
All  the  chiefs  of  the  tribe  had  arrived.  What  did  it  a/1 
mean? 

They  had  the  wildest  notions  regarding  me.  I  was  the 
most  wonderful  of  creatures — a  mighty  spirit.  1  could 
work  wonders — turn  wood  into  iron,  leaves  of  trees  into 
cloth,  earth  into  beads,  the  waters  of  the  Rembo  Apingi 
into  palm  wine  or  plantain  wine.  1  could  make  fire,  the 
matches  I  lighted  being  proof  of  it. 

What  had  that  immense  crowd  come  for  ?  They  had 
met  to  make  me  their  king.  A  kendo,  the  insignia  of 
chieftainship  here,  had  been  procured  from  the  Shimba 
people,  from  whose  country  the  kendo  comes. 

The  drums  beat  early  this  morning ;  it  seemed  as  if  a 
fete-day  was  coming,  for  every  one  appeared  joyous.  ] 
was  quite  unprepared  for  the  ceremony  that  was  to  take 
place,  for  I  knew  nothing  about  it ;  no  one  had  breathed 
a  word  concerning  it  to  me.  When  the  hour  arrived  ] 
was  called  out  of  my  hut.  Wild  shouts  rang  through 
the  air  as  I  made  my  appearance — "  Yo !  yo !  yo  I"  The 
chiefs  of  the  tribe,  headed  by  Eemandji,  advanced  to- 
ward me  in  line,  each  chief  being  armed  with  a  speax; 


THE  MOGUIZI  MADE  K1N&.  259 

the  heads  of  which  they  held  pointed  at  me.  In  rear  oi 
the  chiefs  were  hundreds  of  Apingi  warriors,  also  armed 
with  spears.  Were  they  to  spear  me?  They  stopped, 
while  the  drummers  beat  their  tam-tams  furiously.  Then 
Remandji,  holding  a  kendo  in  his  hand,  came  forward  in 
the  midst  of  the  greatest  excitement  and  wild  shouts  of 
"  The  moguizi  is  to  be  made  our  king !  the  moguizi  is  to 
be  made  our  king  1" 

When  .Remandji  stood  about  a  yard  from  me  a  dead 
silence  took  place.  The  king  advanced  another  step,  and 
then  with  his  right  hand  put  the  kendo  on  my  left  shoul- 
der, saying,  "You  are  the  spirit  whom  we  have  never 
seen  before.  We  are  but  poor  people  when  we  see  you. 
You  are  one  of  those  of  whom  we  have  heard,  who  came 
from  nobody  knows  where,  and  whom  we  never  expect- 
ed  to  see.  You  are  our  king.  We  make  you  our  king. 
Stay  with  us  always,  for  we  love  you!"  Whereupon 
shouts  as  wild  as  the  country  around  came  from  the  mul- 
titude. They  shouted,  "  Spirit,  we  do  not  want  you  to 
go  away — we  want  you  forever  I" 

Immense  quantities  of  palm  wine,  contained  in  cala- 
bashes, were  drank,  and  a  general  jollification  took  place 
in  the  orthodox  fashion  of  a  coronation. 

From  that  day,  therefore,  I  may  call  myself  Du  Chail- 
lu  the  First,  King  of  the  Apingi.  Just  fancy,  I  am  an 
African  king !  Of  all  the  wild  castles  I  ever  built  when 
I  was  a  boy,  I  never  dreamed  that  I  should  one  day  be 
made  king  over  a  wild  tribe  of  negroes  dwelling  in  the 
mountains  of  Equatorial  Africa. 

1  will  remain  in  my  kingdom  for  a  while,  and  see  ev 
ery  thing  strange  that  there  is  in  it.  In  the  mean  time, 
dear  Young  Folks,  I  bid  you  good-by,  promising  that. 


260 


LOST  IN  THE  JUNGLE. 


should  you  like  to  hear  more  of  the  country  I  have  ex- 
plored,  I  will,  in  another  year,  bring  you  back  to  the 
strange  land  where  you  and  I  have  had  so  many  adven- 
tures together. 


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